skin disorders
Overview of Dermatitis
Introduction
Dermatitis is inflammation of the upper layers of the skin, causing itching, blisters, redness, swelling, and often oozing, scabbing, and scaling. Known causes include dry skin, contact with a particular substance, certain drugs or medications, and varicose veins. Typical symptoms include a red itchy rash, scaling, open sores, oozing, and crusting. The diagnosis is typically based on symptoms and confirmed by results of skin tests or skin samples or the presence of suspected drugs or irritants. Avoiding known irritants and allergens (substances that cause an allergic reaction) reduces the risk of dermatitis. Treatment depends on the cause and the specific symptoms. (See also Itching .) Dermatitis is a broad term covering many different disorders that all result in a red, itchy rash. Eczema is synonymous with dermatitis but is often used to mean Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema) . Skin infections, such as fungal infections, are not classified as dermatitis. Some types of dermatitis affect only specific parts of the body (such as Contact Dermatitis , including Some types of dermatitis have a known cause (such as Allergic contact dermatitis ), whereas others do not (such as nummular dermatitis). Chronic dermatitis persists over a long period of time. The hands are particularly vulnerable to chronic dermatitis, because the hands are in frequent contact with many foreign substances. Chronic dermatitis can have many different causes. Chronic scratching and rubbing because of itching often results in thickening of the skin (lichenification). 