Avoiding things that worsen the condition, daily bathing followed by moisturising cream, steroid creams for flares[3] Humidifier
Frequency
~20% at some time[2][4]
Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin (dermatitis).[2] It results in itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin.[2] Clear fluid may come from the affected areas, which can thicken over time.[2] AD may also simply be called eczema, a term that generally refers to a larger group of skin conditions.[2][5]
Atopic dermatitis affects about 20% of people at some point in their lives.[2][4] It is more common in younger children.[3] Females are slightly more affected than males.[6] Many people outgrow the condition.[3]
While the condition may occur at any age, it typically starts in childhood, with changing severity over the years.[2][3] In children under one year of age, the face and limbs and much of the body may be affected.[3] As children get older, the areas on the insides of the knees and folds of the elbows and around the neck are most commonly affected.[3] In adults, the hands and feet are commonly affected.[3] Scratching the affected areas worsens the eczema and increases the risk of skin infections.[2] Many people with atopic dermatitis develop hay fever or asthma.[2]
The cause is unknown but believed to involve genetics, immune system dysfunction, environmental exposures, and difficulties with the permeability of the skin.[2][3] If one identical twin is affected, the other has an 85% chance of having the condition.[7] Those who live in cities and dry climates are more commonly affected.[2] Exposure to certain chemicals or frequent hand washing makes symptoms worse.[2] While emotional stress may make the symptoms worse, it is not a cause.[2] The disorder is not contagious.[2] A diagnosis is typically based on the signs, symptoms and family history.[3]
Treatment involves avoiding things that make the condition worse, enhancing the skin barrier through skin care and treating the underlying skin inflammation. Moisturising creams are used to make the skin less dry and prevent AD flare-ups. Anti-inflammatory corticosteroid creams are used to control flares-ups.[3] Creams based on calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus or pimecrolimus) may also be used to control flares if other measures are not effective.[2][8] Certain antihistamine pills might help with itchiness.[3] Things that commonly make it worse include house dust mite, stress and seasonal factors.[9] Phototherapy may be useful in some people.[2] Antibiotics (either by mouth or topically) are usually not helpful unless there is secondary bacterial infection or the person is unwell.[10] Dietary exclusion does not benefit most people and it is only needed if food allergies are suspected.[11] More severe AD cases may need systemic medicines such as cyclosporin, methotrexate, dupilumab or baricitinib.
Other names of the condition include "infantile eczema", "flexural eczema", "prurigo Besnier", "allergic eczema", and "neurodermatitis".[1]
^ abWilliams HC (October 2000). "Epidemiology of atopic dermatitis". Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. 25 (7). Cambridge University Press: 522–529. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2230.2000.00698.x. ISBN 978-0-521-57075-6. PMID 11122223. S2CID 31546363. Archived from the original on 2015-06-19.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv"Handout on Health: Atopic Dermatitis (A type of eczema)". National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. May 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
^ abcdefghijklmnoTollefson MM, Bruckner AL (December 2014). "Atopic dermatitis: skin-directed management". Pediatrics. 134 (6): e1735–e1744. doi:10.1542/peds.2014-2812. PMID 25422009.
^ abThomsen SF (2014). "Atopic dermatitis: natural history, diagnosis, and treatment". ISRN Allergy. 2014: 354250. doi:10.1155/2014/354250. PMC 4004110. PMID 25006501.
^Johansson SG, Bieber T, Dahl R, Friedmann PS, Lanier BQ, Lockey RF, et al. (May 2004). "Revised nomenclature for allergy for global use: Report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the World Allergy Organization, October 2003". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 113 (5): 832–836. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2003.12.591. PMID 15131563.
^"Atopic Dermatitis". National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. September 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
^Williams H (2009). Evidence-Based Dermatology. John Wiley & Sons. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-4443-0017-8. Archived from the original on 2017-09-08.
^Langan SM, Williams HC (September 2006). "What causes worsening of eczema? A systematic review". The British Journal of Dermatology. 155 (3): 504–514. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2006.07381.x. PMID 16911274. S2CID 43247714.
^Ong PY, Boguniewicz J, Chu DK (January 2023). "Skin Antiseptics for Atopic Dermatitis: Dissecting Facts From Fiction". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. In Practice. 11 (5): 1385–1390. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2023.01.012. PMID 36702247. S2CID 256222372.
^Oykhman P, Dookie J, Al-Rammahy H, de Benedetto A, Asiniwasis RN, LeBovidge J, et al. (October 2022). "Dietary Elimination for the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. In Practice. 10 (10): 2657–2666.e8. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2022.06.044. PMID 35987995. S2CID 250710625.
Atopicdermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin (dermatitis). It results in itchy, red, swollen, and...
Allergic contact dermatitis occurs upon exposure to an allergen, causing a hypersensitivity reaction in the skin. Prevention of atopicdermatitis is typically...
atopicdermatitis, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), allergic asthma, atopic keratoconjunctivitis. The likelihood of having asthma, rhinitis and atopic dermatitis...
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be confused with seborrhoeic dermatitis based on appearance are listed below. Atopicdermatitis (eczema) Contact dermatitis Psoriasis Tinea capitis and...
drug of the calcineurin inhibitor class used in the treatment of atopicdermatitis (eczema). It is available as a topical cream. It was developed and...
small intestine leading to a reduction in bacterial translocation. Atopicdermatitis symptoms have been shown to be reversed in some children. Neville...
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specific adverse effect of topical corticosteroid use. People with atopicdermatitis are most at risk. Treatment involves discontinuing the use of topical...
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The allergic march (also called atopic march) is a medical term used to explain the natural history of atopic manifestations. The allergic march is characterized...
as a pathogen causing a number of different skin diseases, such as atopicdermatitis. In 1846, Karl Ferdinand Eichstedt was the first to identify the association...
ointment, tacrolimus is used in the treatment of dermatitis (eczema), in particular atopicdermatitis, if topical corticosteroids and moisturisers fail...
KP is more common in patients affected by atopic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and atopicdermatitis. KP subtypes are occasionally part of genetically...
interleukin 4 and interleukin 13, used for allergic diseases such as atopicdermatitis (eczema), asthma and nasal polyps which result in chronic sinusitis...
the 1970s. It is primarily used to treat atopicdermatitis (eczema), seborrheic dermatitis, contact dermatitis and psoriasis in both adults and children...
generally occurs at sites of skin damage produced by, for example, atopicdermatitis, burns, long-term usage of topical steroids or eczema. It is also...
nonsteroidal topical medication used for the treatment of mild-to-moderate atopicdermatitis (eczema) in adults and children. The most common side effects are...
associated with other dermatologic conditions such as untreated or severe atopicdermatitis and systemic causes of pruritus including liver disease and end stage...