Eczema
Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that occurs due to allergies. It can manifest itself regardless of age anywhere on the human body, but most often appears on the face, hands and feet. At the beginning of the disease, the skin turns red, swelling appears, a large number of bubbles. Opening, the bubbles turn into wet erosions, which dry out and scaly crusts remain in their place. Patients complain of severe itching and burning in the affected areas. The word “eczema” in Greek means “to boil”, which explains the peculiarity of opening eczema bubbles, like bubbles in boiling water. Eczema has long been called various dermatoses, but in the 19th century this disease was defined in a separate form.
The content of the article:
Typology of eczema
Eczema in children
Causes of eczema
Eczema Treatment
Diet for eczema
Prevention of eczema
Eczema
Typology of eczema
There are two forms of eczema: acute and chronic. In the acute form, true (idiopathic) eczema most often occurs. It is characterized by a symmetrical lesion mainly of the hands, fuzzy borders. The disease begins with redness, on which bubbles, nodules appear, the skin becomes edematous. After a while, the bubbles are opened, erosions (eczematous wells) remain in their place, from which serous contents are released. This process is called soaking. After that, the erosions dry up with the formation of crusts. Depending on the contents of the crust, there are serous or hemorrhagic.
In turn, eczema is divided into wet and dry. Wet eczema is characterized by the presence of small ulcers with fluid inside. Combing them threatens to get germs on the damaged skin and the addition of an infectious complication. Dry eczema occurs on the hands or feet as a result of very dry skin and cracks. During treatment, it is necessary to moisturize the skin.
Microbial eczema
In chronic infectious foci, microbial eczema occurs, the causative agents of which are staphylococci and streptococci. The focus of inflammation is usually one, most often it is localized on scratches and wounds. It is characterized by purulent small nodules, purulent inflammations are placed along the edge of erosion. The paratraumatic form is characterized by rashes at the site of injury.
Eczema has various subspecies: mycotic — as a result of the addition of a fungal component, skin peeling appears. Most often, mycotic (fungal) eczema is located near the toes or nails, which is why everyone is so afraid of infection.
With the varicose form of one of the microbial types, the rashes are located asymmetrically on the shins — in places of trophic disorders, the color of the lesions is bluish-purple.
Rashes of a bluish-pink color, with a diameter of no more than three centimeters, with wetness, vesicles and papules are formed with a coin-shaped (numular) form of eczema.
The dyshydrotic form of eczema is usually located on the sole or palms, on the side of the fingers, it is characterized by swelling, the presence of nodules and bubbles, the process of wetting.
With the callous (tylotic) form of eczema, as with dyshidrotic, the lesion is localized on the palms and soles, the upper layer of the skin becomes thickened, the places where there were bubbles turn into foci of hyperkeratosis, similar to corns.
Seborrheic eczema
In patients with seborrhea, in areas with a large number of sebaceous glands (on the ears, head, chest, buttocks, between the shoulder blades), seborrheic eczema may appear due to disruption of the sebaceous glands. Lesions in the form of yellowish plaques that form patterns, they turn red, peel off.
Professional eczema
This type of eczema mainly appears in open areas of the skin due to exposure to harmful working conditions of the patient. Workers in the chemical, construction or mining industries can get sick with professional eczema. The diagnosis is determined by a professional pathologist. If the cause of the disease is eliminated, the patient’s condition improves. But with constant exposure to stimuli, each subsequent case of exacerbation proceeds harder and longer.
Eczema in children
Children’s eczema is characterized by the presence of abundant rashes and a pronounced exudative component. The entire face of the child, except for the skin around the mouth, is affected. In some cases, a complication of infection is possible. Children’s eczema occurs when a child has a weak immune system or in cases when parents had manifestations of an allergic disease. Getting rid of the skin ailment will occur after the elimination of the factor that provoked eczema.
Causes of eczema
Conditionally, the causes of eczema are divided into external and internal. External, influencing from the outside – dyes, rubber products, household chemicals, jewelry and jewelry, medicines, pet hair and plants, insect bites, the influence of sunlight. The internal causes of eczema depend on the patient’s health. Scientists believe that eczema is the result of a malfunction of the immune, nervous and endocrine systems of the body. In addition, eczema can be a consequence of pathology of the intestinal tract. It can occur with cholecystitis, gastritis, enterocolitis, constipation and even in the presence of worms. Sometimes eczema occurs at the site of an infected wound or burn that does not heal for a long time, since microbes in the wound support a long inflammatory process. The cause of eczema may be an allergy to food or chemicals, to dust, in children it may occur due to exudative diathesis. Eczema is characterized by a chronic course of the disease with concomitant diseases such as tonsillitis, sinusitis, mycosis of the feet. Hormonal system failures, stress, and hereditary predisposition play an important role in the appearance of eczema.
Eczema proceeds for a long time, with relapses. Often the disease, which began in childhood or adolescence, repeats throughout the patient’s life. In some patients, eczema appears infrequently and for a short time, in others, the relapse does not have time to end, and another one already comes, the remission is incomplete and short-lived.
Eczema Treatment
There is no single remedy or method for the treatment of eczema, treatment should be individual for each specific case and period. All therapeutic techniques are divided into two groups — local (external) and general. It is necessary to take into account pathogenetic factors, a type of eczema, inflammatory changes in the skin, as well as possible complications.
General treatment includes the use of sodium hyposulfite, calcium chloride, corticosteroid hormonal drugs that relieve itching, inflammation, and have a desensitizing effect. In the remission stage, corticosteroid medications are not stopped, but the dose is reduced to consolidate the results obtained and prevent relapse or exacerbation. You should not get carried away with the use of these drugs, since prolonged and repeated administration can provoke various complications. It will be useful to prescribe antihistamines and immunocorrectors, vitamins of group B. If hormonal disorders are expressed or the patient is in the menopausal period, hormonal drugs are prescribed. From external means to relieve the patient’s condition, lotions with boric acid, silver nitrate, dimexide are used; manganese baths before opening the bubbles; salicylic, boric, lorinden C ointments, etc. During the exacerbation of the disease, contact with water should be extremely limited.
Disorders of the nervous system in the form of a neurotic state or insomnia are indications for the use of sedative therapy, hypnosis in combination with electrosleep. X—ray therapy is widely used for the treatment of eczema, but you should not get carried away with this method of treatment – a relapse is possible.
During the period of remission for a patient with chronic forms of eczema, spa treatment with hydrogen sulfide, radioactive sources, bathing in the sea, mud treatment will be useful.
Diet for eczema
In the treatment of eczema, dietary nutrition of the patient plays an important role.
It should be strictly individualized depending on the patient’s weight.
Emaciated patients should receive a sufficient amount of fats and carbohydrates, obese patients should adhere to a diet with a restriction of fats and carbohydrates, eat only fruits on “fruit days”. Elderly people should limit their consumption of meat, eat more plant foods. The diet of an eczema patient should contain the necessary amount of vitamins, especially in the spring months there should be enough vitamin C. If there are manifestations of hypovitaminosis, patients are prescribed vitamin concentrates.
Patients who are genetically predisposed to allergic diseases should, if possible, reduce or even completely exclude from their diet such products: citrus fruits, strawberries, bananas, peppers, corn, crabs, semi-finished products, fatty pork and lamb meat, sweet and bakery products (whole grain bread is possible). You should eat such healthy foods as beets, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, melon, watermelon, black currant, raspberry, sea buckthorn. Fruits can be eaten only if there is no allergy and only with a chronic course of the disease.
When there is an exacerbation of the disease, ulcers, fluid bubbles are opened, a strict diet is simply necessary. It is permissible to eat boiled fish or chicken, porridge on water, vegetable soups, freshly squeezed carrot or beet juice. At this time, salty, smoked and spicy foods, onions, garlic, eggs, milk (but not fermented milk products) should be excluded. It is necessary to drink water and juices, regardless of the form of manifestation of the disease. And tea, coffee, alcohol should not be consumed until full recovery.
Eczema affects 40-50% of people. Most of them get sick in childhood, when the immune system has not yet fully formed. Therefore, in order to avoid the appearance of dermatitis, and then eczema, parents should accurately follow the recommendations of pediatricians when introducing complementary foods. Tomatoes should not be given to a child for up to six months, bread for up to a year, liver and mushrooms for up to 7 years. By violating these rules, parents increase the chance of a child having dermatitis, or even eczema, allergies to foods may develop, the immune system will not be full.
Prevention of eczema
It is impossible to cure eczema without eliminating the provoking factor. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the root cause of the disease. Patients with solar eczema need to spend less time in the sun, protect themselves from sunlight. To do this, you should wear clothes that cover the entire body as much as possible, be sure to wear a headdress.
It is extremely difficult to protect yourself from skin diseases, but you can reduce the risk of the disease. To do this, you need to buy clothes made of natural fabrics dyed with natural dyes, use cosmetics made from natural ingredients, avoid using products with preservatives, use household chemicals as little as possible, follow the rules of personal hygiene, lead a healthy lifestyle, avoid infection with a fungal infection.
Although it is difficult to cure eczema, it is possible. It is important to take into account the prescription of the disease, the general condition of the body and the state of the nervous system, the frequency of relapses, the working and living conditions of the patient.
