What is atopic dermatitis

Over the past 30 years, the incidence of atopic dermatitis has increased by 2-10% in adults and by 10-30% in children. This is an inflammatory disease that is accompanied by itching, flaking and dry skin. These symptoms impair the quality of life and can lead to psychological problems. We will understand what atopic dermatiti is and how it manifests itself, as well as consider other popular questions. This material is based on the recommendations and comments of the candidate of medical sciences Evgeny Komarovsky . A video with the participation of the doctor can be found at the end of the article.

Atopic dermatitis: main symptoms?

Atopic dermatiti is an inflammation of the skin caused by a special state of the immune system and a congenital deficiency in the skin of certain proteins. As a result, it is with atopic dermatitis that two phenomena occur: high sensitivity of the skin to a wide variety of environmental factors, and the tendency of the skin to develop allergic inflammatory reactions.

The main manifestations of atopic dermatiti:

dry skin;
redness;
itching.

Manifestations of atopic dermatitis may differ depending on age – their places change. For example, in children of the first 6 months of life, as a rule, lesions of atopic dermatiti are the forehead and cheeks (the main zones). From 6 months to 2 years – extensor surfaces of the limbs, torso, face, neck.

From 2 years to adolescence, the wrists, elbows, and neck are mainly affected. In adults, very often the disease is manifested exclusively by lesions of the hands or lesions of the feet. Nevertheless, nuances are possible, at any age all of the above is possible, but the general trend is approximately the same.

Why is atopic dermatitis dangerous?

First of all, with atopic dermatitis, the quality of life changes. The main symptom is itching. A person with atopic dermatitis experiences real suffering. The child cannot eat or sleep. The reason is that he is disturbed by a very intense itching. In addition, it is possible to attach a secondary bacterial infection.

The child cannot fully eat because there are reactions to many foods. He does not get enough sleep, takes a huge amount of drugs and has adverse reactions to these drugs.

There is also a tendency for a child with atopic dermatiti to develop other allergic diseases in the future. For example, bronchial asthma develops. Atopic dermatitic makes you think about it all the time, it requires constant action.

Can atopic dermatitis be permanently cured?

First of all, it is necessary to understand that if this disease is treated correctly, then the child’s condition can be improved. With age, the manifestations of atopic dermatitic decrease, sometimes completely disappear.

But in 50% of people, atopic dermatitic will remain, and its manifestations will occur episodically. At the same time, this disease goes into the background, if you follow the necessary lifestyle.

How is atopic dermatitic different from allergic dermatitis?

The skin may come into contact with some substance. For example, it may be a low-quality washing powder; after using it, the skin becomes covered with an itchy rash. Or after a mosquito bite, skin inflammation may occur. Here is such a contact with the source of allergies, which leads to inflammation of the skin – this is allergic dermatitis. That is, this is a specific situation: contact of the allergen with the skin and the corresponding reaction.

With atopic dermatitis, the situation is different, which is not allergic in nature initially. This is simply an individual genetically determined feature of the skin, due to which allergic reactions subsequently occur.