During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Eczema. These may include a physical examination or other medical tests. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
Why: to establish if acute or chronic.
Why: e.g. the typical distribution of classical atopic dermatitis (eczema) changes as the person grows older. In infants the rash is usually on the cheeks of the face, the folds of the neck and scalp. It may then spread to the limbs and groin. During childhood a drier ad thicker rash develops in front of the elbow, behind the knees and on the hands and feet, which may be dry, itchy, cracked and painful. Rarely does eczema have an adult onset.
Why: e.g. itch, red skin, dry skin, scaling skin, cracked skin, blisters, puffy and swollen skin.
Why: e.g. perfumes, hair sprays etc may cause allergic contact dermatitis.
Why: e.g. soap, frequent washing, chlorinated water, bubbles baths, sweating (because it is drying), sand pits, winter months, extremes of hot and cold weather, emotional stress, wool clothing or blankets, chemical disinfectants, detergents, scratching or rubbing, pregnancy, menstruation, various food stuffs.
Why: e.g. eczema is usually chronic relapsing.
Why: e.g. presence of other allergic type conditions such as asthma, hives and hay fever; varicose veins may suggest varicose eczema (patches of dry scaly skin that overlie leg varicose veins).
Why: e.g. topical antibiotics, topical anesthetics, topical antihistamines may cause allergic contact dermatitis.
Why: e.g. plants (grevillea, poison ivy), rubber, resins, coral, perfumes, dyes, metal salts (nickel, chromate).
Why: important with respect to allergic contact dermatitis e.g. contact with resins, rubber, latex, dyes.
Why: e.g. eczema, asthma, hives, hay fever.
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. These may include:
Why: may suggest secondary infection.
Why: may suggest eczema herpeticum (herpes simplex virus skin infection on underlying eczema affected skin.
Why: e.g. loss of the outer 1/3 of eyebrows due to the rubbing of eyelids.
Why: may be the result of compulsively rubbing the eyelids.
Why: e.g. red, coin-shaped patches which are crusted, scaly and itchy. Often symmetrical and occurring mainly on the legs but also the buttocks and trunk.
Why: e.g. may range from faint redness to severe swelling, symptoms are often worse in area around the eyes, genitals and on hairy skin, symptoms are least on hairless skin such as palms and soles. Allergic contact dermatitis is usually confined to the site of exposure to the allergen.
Why: another type of atopic dermatitis e.g. white patches on the face of children and adolescents, especially around the mouth but can also occur on the neck, upper limbs and sometimes the trunk. Eventually full re-pigmentation occurs.
Why: often a feature of atopic dermatitis caused by repeated rubbing and scratching e.g. localized thick patches of lichenification (leathery thickening of the skin).
Why: e.g. itchy blister-like lesions on fingers, sometimes with larger blister-like lesions on palms and soles lasting for a few weeks but tends to recur. Possibly related to stress.
Why: e.g. very itchy dry skin condition that occurs on the legs of elderly people and results in a dry "crazy paving" pattern.
Why: may occur with severe allergic contact dermatitis e.g. from a strong allergen such as poison ivy; may occur with eczema herpeticum.
Why: e.g. blurred vision - 10% of people with severe eczema may develop cataracts.
Why: e.g. leg swelling, darkened skin, inflammation of the skin, possible ulceration on the lower legs - may suggest "varicose eczema" which is characterized by patches of dry scaly skin that overlie leg varicose veins.
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