TV SHOWS |  | | |  | | | VIDEO TESTIMONY | | |
| | | | | TESTIMONIALS | | |
| | | | | PATIENT REPORTS | | |
| | | | | HEALTH PROBLEM | | |
|
|
| | | |  Home  Disease Index Atopic Eczema
atopic disease, atopic skin, hydrocortisone eczema, eczema atomic dermatitis, treatment of atopic eczema, atopic child eczema, atopic dermatitis eczema Treat atopic disease, atopic skin, hydrocortisone eczema not responding to prescription drugs, scientifically - DrRaoMD atopic eczema treatment, advanced herbal atopic eczema remedy, atopic eczema madication |  |
| 
|  |
 | Overview |
| |
Atopy is the general medical term for allergic conditions such as hay fever, . People with a tendency to suffer from allergic conditions are said to be atopic. About 15 per cent of the population are affected by one or more atopic conditions.
The immune system of people with is active in a particular way. They especially make large amounts of a protein called IgE. IgE is one of a handful of proteins called immunoglobulins or antibodies, the purpose of which are to act as catalysts for the protective cells of the immune system to recognise and lock on to the protein components of foreign invaders. IgE is present in small amounts in everyone. However, in atopic eczema more is produced because of increased sensitivity to substances which are inhaled or eaten, or substances in contact with the skin. These could be animal dander, foodstuffs, house dust mite, or bacteria or yeasts that live on the skin in everyone and usually cause no problems. Most individuals with atopic eczema react to all of these things to varying degrees.
The distinction between , allergic contact eczema ('dermatitis') and irritant contact eczema is that in the first two the immune reaction sits in the middle and determines whether an individual will or will not react. In irritant contact eczema the antigen-antibody system is bypassed and the skin reaction occurs as a direct result of the chemical effects of the irritant on the skin. In allergic contact eczema the person slowly develops a skin reaction to a specific substance that has been in contact with
|
|
| Features of atopic eczema |
| |
Although the first episode of can be delayed to adulthood the majority of people have a history that goes back to their childhood. About half of affected children show improvement by the age of six and 85 per cent by the time puberty starts.
About 70 per cent of people have a family history of at least one of the . This points to genetic links to atopy but the relationship is complex. A combination of genetics and environmental exposures probably determine whether an individual develops , but we do not yet know what the most important influences are.
The main symptom, as with all , is itch. Generally the skin is dry but the most affected skin looks red, with a slightly raised but ill-defined margin when the eczema is active. Lumps or blisters, some oozing of fluid from the skin surface and scaling of the skin are all features of flare-ups. After the acute episodes the skin will settle down to a less active longer-term appearance, which is a bit less angry looking but shows more in the way of thickening, scoring and darkening of the skin where it is most scratched.
In infants and children the affected skin is mostly the face and as they get a bit older the rash spreads to the body and limbs. The napkin area is usually spared although it may be inflamed from the effect of urine or the overgrowth of yeast organisms on the skin (thrush). White children tend to get the most trouble on the ‘flexures’ – the skin creases on the meeting surfaces of the joints. Elbows, wrists, behind the knees and fronts of the ankles are typical. Black and Asian children tend to be affected on the opposite side of the joints, such as the point of the elbow or front of the knees. Adults show more involvement of the face and trunk again.
Superficial infection of the skin causes increased redness and heat, weeping and perhaps crusting. Small blisters may contain pus. Infected eczema does not usually give signs of general infection such as a raised temperature.
Click here for Therapy
|
|
|
|  |
| | |
|
|
|
