LYCOS RETRIEVER
Eczema: Atopic Eczema
built 638 days ago
Eczema... called atopic dermatitis, is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder. Its main features are blisters that dry to become scaly, itchy rashes. The skin becomes dry and itchy because too much moisture is lost from its upper layer. This leaves the skin without protection, making it easy for bacteria and viruses to penetrate. The disease occurs episodically; in other words, there may be periods when symptoms are severe (flares) and times when there are no symptoms at all (remission). Eczema is not contagious, but nevertheless it is very common—estimates are that more than 15 million people in the United States have eczema.
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Eczema vaccinatum (EV) is a risk for people who have atopic dermatitis or have had it in the past. The risk exists if they are exposed to vaccinia directly through vaccination, or indirectly by contacting someone who has recently been vaccinated. In this reaction, the vaccinia virus spreads unchecked throughout the skin, and, at its worst, could cause scarring, blindness, and even death. Vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) has been used successfully to treat or moderate this complication, if given soon after the reaction starts.
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Eczema... known as atopic dermatitis, refers to a group of conditions that causes inflammation of the skin. Scaling, flaking, thickening, weeping, crusting, color changes and itching of the skin are all common symptoms of eczema. Eczema affects people all age groups. Up to one-fifth of all children of school age have eczema, along with about one in 12 of the adult population. The severity of the disease can vary. In mild forms the skin is dry, hot and itchy; severe forms can result in broken, raw and bleeding skin.
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Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a very common skin condition. It can occur at any age, but eczema most often affects infants and children. Eczema may first appear as a patchy facial rash around the cheeks and chin, which can progress to red, scaling skin.
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Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is often seen in association with other atopic conditions, such as hay fever, asthma, or hives, but is generally not triggered by pollen or other airborne irritants. The disease often runs a chronic course. The term "atopic" is derived from the Greek word atopos, which means "away from the place." It describes a family of sensitivities to ordinary substances to which most people have no reaction. Hence, the sensitivity is "out of place". When the disease starts in infancy, it is sometimes called infantile eczema. This is a red, itching, oozing, crusting dermatitis that tends to be localized primarily on the face and scalp, although spots can appear at other sites.
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Eczema diagnosis is generally based on the appearance of inflamed, itchy skin in eczema sensitive areas such as face, chest and other skin crease areas. For evaluation of the eczema, a scoring system can be used (for example, SCORAD, a scoring system for atopic dermatitis).
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