Symptoms of Eczema
Symptoms of Eczema: Introduction
Symptoms of eczema can vary greatly in intensity, frequency, and duration among individuals. Symptoms can be minimal and include mild itching and the development of a rash or patch of inflamed skin. Scratching, however, often does not relieve the itch and can lead to increased inflammation, more intense itching, and harder scratching.
It can be very difficult to break this cycle of escalating itching, scratching, and inflammation. The scratching cycle can lead to complications from the development of open breaks and lesions in the skin. Complications include a secondary bacterial infection or fungal infection of the surrounding skin and tissues. This is called cellulitis and can be potentially serious, even life-threatening, for some people.
Skin areas affected by eczema can also exhibit a variety of characteristics, depending on the individual case. These include flaking, scaling, small red bumps, and/or blistering. Darkening of the area of skin affected by eczema, called hyperpigmentation, may also result. Frequent scratching can also result in thickening of the affected skin.
Symptoms frequently begin in infancy and reoccur during childhood. It is not unusual for symptoms to disappear during adulthood, although it can happen, and flare-ups are unpredictable throughout a lifetime. People who are more likely to develop eczema include those with a personal or family history of allergies, allergic rhinitis or asthma....more about Eczema »
Symptoms of Eczema
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Eczema includes the 76
symptoms listed below:
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Eczema: Symptom Checkers
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Eczema: Symptom Assessment Questionnaires
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Eczema: Complications
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Eczema Symptoms: Book Excerpts
Diagnostic Testing
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Do I have Eczema?
Eczema: Medical Mistakes
Eczema: Undiagnosed Conditions
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Eczema:
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Wrongly Diagnosed with Eczema?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions
that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses
for Eczema includes:
See the full list of 53
Eczema: Research Doctors & Specialists
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Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Eczema
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Eczema
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Eczema.
Medical Books Excerpts
- Dermatitis
- "Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition)" (2005)
- [ read ]
- Rash
- "Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas" (2003)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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Symptoms of Eczema: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Eczema.
Atopic dermatitis:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Scratching the skin causes vasoconstriction and intensifies pruritus, resulting in erythematous, weeping lesions. Eventually, the lesions become scaly and lichenified. Usually, they’re located in areas of flexion and extension, such as the neck, antecubital fossa, popliteal folds, and behind the ears. Patients with atopic dermatitis are prone to unusually severe viral infections, bacterial and fungal skin infections, ocular complications, and allergic contact dermatitis.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Dermatitis:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Atopic skin lesions generally begin as erythematous areas on excessively dry skin. In children, such lesions typically appear on the forehead, cheeks, and extensor surfaces of the arms and legs; in adults, at flexion points (antecubital fossa, popliteal area, and neck).
During flare-ups, pruritus and scratching cause edema, crusting, and scaling. Eventually, chronic atopic lesions lead to multiple areas of dry, scaly skin, with white dermatographia, blanching, and lichenification.
Common secondary conditions associated with atopic dermatitis include viral, fungal, or bacterial infections, and ocular disorders.
Because of intense pruritus, the upper eyelid is commonly hyperpigmented and swollen, and a double fold occurs under the lower lid (Morgan-Dennie folds, Morgan folds, Dennie pleats, or Mongolian lines). Atopic cataracts are unusual but may develop between ages 20 and 40.
Kaposi’s varicelliform eruption, a potentially fatal, generalized viral infection, may develop if the patient with atopic dermatitis comes in contact with a person who’s infected with herpes simplex.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Atopicdermatitis:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Scratching the skin causes vasoconstriction and intensifies pruritus, resulting in erythematous and weeping lesions. Eventually, the lesions become scaly and lichenous. Usually, they’re located in areas of flexion and extension, such as the neck, antecubital fossa, popliteal folds, and the backs of the ears. Patients with atopic dermatitis are prone to unusually severe viral infections, bacterial and fungal skin infections, ocular complications, and allergic contact dermatitis.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Dermatitis:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Atopic skin lesions generally begin as erythematous areas on excessively dry skin. In children, such lesions typically appear on the forehead, cheeks, and extensor surfaces of the arms and legs; in adults, at flexion points (antecubital fossa, popliteal area, and neck).
During flare-ups, pruritus and scratching cause edema, crusting, and scaling. Eventually, chronic atopic lesions lead to multiple areas of dry, scaly skin, with white dermatographia, blanching, and lichenification.
Common secondary conditions associated with atopic dermatitis include viral, fungal, or bacterial infections and ocular disorders.
Because of intense pruritus, the upper eyelid is commonly hyperpigmented and swollen, and a double fold occurs under the lower lid (Morgan’s, Dennie’s, or Mongolian fold). Atopic cataracts are unusual but may develop between the ages of 20 and 40.
Kaposi’s varicelliform eruption (eczema herpeticum), a potentially serious widespread cutaneous viral infection, may develop if the patient comes in contact with a person who is infected with herpes simplex.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Rash - Case 9-2: 7-Week-Old Girl:
IV. Clinical Presentation
(Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas)
The diagnosis of child abuse must be considered in all cases in which a child's injuries cannot be explained and there is a discrepancy between the physical
findings and the history. In a study of bruises occurring in children 6 to 9
months of age, Carpenter found that all accidentally acquired bruises were on
the front of the body and that no bruise was greater than 1 cm. In a larger
study of children, Sugar et al. demonstrated that only 2.2% of bruises occurred
in infants who did not walk or cruise, and only 0.6% occurred in children
younger than 6 months of age. In cases that did not involve abuse, bruises were
small, few, and located on bony prominences. Typical accidental bruises involve
the skin overlying bony prominences such as the anterior tibia, knees, elbows,
forehead, and dorsum of the hands. Parents can usually give explanations for
how the bruises occurred, unlike these parents.
The shape of the bruise may also suggest intentional harm. Finger and thumb
prints may be found on the arms where a child has been forcefully held. A blunt
instrument often leaves a bruise that resembles the shape of the instrument.
Loop-shaped marks are caused by a folded extension cord or rope.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Pediatric Complaints and Diagnostic Dilemmas, 2003
Eczema as a symptom:
For a more detailed analysis of Eczema as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Eczema.
Eczema: Onset and Incubation
Onset of Eczema: after puberty
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Eczema:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Eczema.
This signs and symptoms information for Eczema has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Eczema signs or Eczema symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Eczema may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Eczema symptoms.
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