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Atopic Dermatitis  Introduction
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic (long-lasting) skin disorder and is non-contagious in nature i.e. it cannot be passed from one person to another. The word "dermatitis" means inflammation of the skin. "Atopic" comes form the word “Atopy” that includes a group of diseases in which thereis an inherited tendency to develop allergic conditions. In Atopic dermatitis, the skin becomes extremely itchy. On scratching the affected parts there may be redness, swelling, cracking, oozing of clear fluid, crusting and scaling. This entire sequence occurs as a gradual process and all of these may not always be seen at the same time.
During the course of the disease there may be periods when the disease becomes worse; such periods are called flare-ups or exacerbations. Then there may also be periods when the skin symptoms improve or clears up completely and such periods are called remissions. In some cases as the children suffering from Atopic dermatitis grow older, their skin disease improves or disappears altogether. Inspite of this their skin may remain dry and easily irritated. In other cases, Atopic dermatitis may continue to be a significant problem even in adulthood. | |
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