What Is Atopic Dermatitis And How Does It Manifest?

Atopic dermatitis is a skin condition that has become more common in recent years. One-fifth of children currently suffer from this disease of the dermis. Although it often affects children, atopic dermatitis can occur at any age.

What is atopic dermatitis?

Atopic dermatitis is a skin disease that causes redness and itching in different areas of the skin. Moreover, this is a common cause of excessive dry skin.

According to the Spanish Pediatric Association, atopic dermatitis can be classified into three groups:

Babies. The disease begins to manifest at the age of five months. It occurs mainly on the face, except for the mouth, nose and the area around the eyes. Sometimes it also occurs on the scalp, ears and back of the hands. Dermatitis causes constant itching.

Grown ups. This type of atopic dermatitis manifests itself after puberty and is generally characterized by plaques on the skin with scaly portions. It also mainly affects the back of the hands and the skin of the joint folds, legs and feet.

Causes of atopic dermatitis

Now that we have found out what is atopic dermatitis, let’s see what are the causes that lead to its appearance.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Symptoms of atopic dermatitis include reddish-looking skin lesions and crusts. Severity varies from patient to patient.

The main symptom of atopic dermatitis is skin lesions. They have a red crusty appearance. The lesions are also accompanied by very intense and constant itching. This often leads to emotional problems.

In infants, the lesions are blister-shaped and are accompanied by sweating. In children, the lesions appear dry and rough. In adults, the lesions are thickened and hyperpigmented or hypopigmented. In other words, they are too light or too dark.

Those who suffer from this disease for a long time have an increased risk of developing cataracts between 20 and 30 years. Experts do not yet know why. They are also more likely to develop eczema herpeticum if they contract the Herpes Simplex virus .

The specialist can diagnose the disease by simply looking at the patient’s skin. Usually, a skin examination and a medical history analysis are sufficient. Sometimes doctors do certain patches. However, laboratory tests are rarely required.

Do you have symptoms of this condition? If so, you should visit a trusted dermatologist as soon as possible. He will be responsible for the correct diagnosis and treatment of the disease you suffer from.