Atopic Dermatitis Research Paper

Atopic dermatitis also known as “eczema” is a chronic disease; skin condition that causes inflammation or irritation to the skin. It is not contagious and cannot be passed on from person to person, however, it can be a genetic inheritance. Atopic dermatitis causes the skin to become every itchy. Itching can lead to swelling, redness, fluids to leak, dryness, scaly and crusting. It can often lead to asthma, hay fever or other allergic conditions. Sometimes the disease can worsen due to stress conditions or environmental factors. For example; soaps, lotions, dust, mold can cause a “flare up” by breaking out in an itchy, dry rash. There are also periods of times when the disease improves or clears up entirely. Atopic dermatitis starts as an infant and continues throughout childhood. …show more content…
Symptoms are different for every person, but it is commonly dry, itchy skin and rashes on the body. Scratching can cause even more irritation and itchiness. Itching is a problem during the night because when unconscious it is harder to control scratching because the person is not aware of what they are doing. Due to the excessive scratching it can break the epidermis barrier that leads to dry skin which reduces its protective ability. This makes it easier for the person’s skin to become infected by bacteria or viruses. There is no cause for eczema, but believed that an overactive immune system can cause irritation. Even though, there is no cure people have learned to manage their condition with medical treatment and avoiding irritants. Doctors have recommended lotions and creams to help relieve the itchy skin. In some cases, doctors give prescriptions creams and ointments to help with the inflammation. It must be watched, eczema can go away for some people, but for others it stays for