Article by Broyde McDonald
The most common type of eczema is atopic eczema. It is many times and more often found in children, and carries with it tormenting qualities that can stop people from sleeping through the night. Many times it is referred to as “the itch that rashes.” Other common names for it are eczema and dermatitis.
Some of the signs that accompany Atopic eczema include very itchy patches of skin. In infants, who are the majority of Atopic eczema sufferers, the patches and blisters aim to attack them on the face (cheeks) and scalp. Older eczema sufferers get the patches on their hands and feet. The bends of elbows, back of knees, ankles, face, neck, upper chest, and wrists are also common places for the eczema to join itself to. However although these are the common places the patches can show up anywhere on the body.
Another sign of Atopic eczema is the scaly skin, redness, cracking, swelling, weeping and crusting of a clear pus like fluid. These signs are common when inflammation is present. For eczema to be eczema inflammation has to be present. When inflammation is absent, chances are that the person is not afflicted with eczema.
You will also find that the patches of dry skin begin to bubble into small fine liquid filled, itchy bumps. These bumps when scratched undergo a change and become a larger pustule. With the process having the ability to continue to grow until large areas of the skin layer are damaged and skin infections become a new issue complicating the healing of the disease.
If the eczema is not properly treated skin lichenification will occur. This is your body’s way of trying to defend itself. The skin becomes thick and takes on an elephant hide type appearance as a means of protecting itself from scratching.
Who has Atopic eczema?
Between 10 and 20 percent of the worlds’ population has Atopic dermatitis. The majority of people who suffer with this disease contract it when they are in the first year to five years of life. Some people develop eczema around the age of puberty and sometimes older, but this is rare. This form of eczema usually clears up in many people by the age of 2, but approximately half of the infants with eczema will still have eczema flare ups into adulthood.
Atopic eczema affects all ethnic races equally.
Atopic eczema is usually caused by genetics.
Atopic eczema is not contagious, but is more commonly passed on through genetics. It is reported that if one parent has an atopy there is a 50 percent chance that his offspring will also develop the atopy. Should both parents have it, the chances of their offspring having eczema or another atopic disease jumps to 80 percent. 65 percent of children who have contracted eczema genetically will show it during the first year of life. The other 25 percent of eczema children will show up before they reach five years old.
Who usually gets Atopic eczema?
Atopic family history, geographical location, age, gender, mothers age at time of birth, year of birth, social class, and the size of the family all tend to contribute more or less to the onset of the disease.
When there is eczema, asthma and hay fever in the family, the risk for eczema goes up. People in developed countries in the northern hemisphere are more susceptible to eczema than people in less urban areas.
Females are more likely than males to develop eczema.
Older mothers tend to pass on Atopic illnesses more readily than younger mothers. There has been a steady increase in the number of eczema sufferers during the past 40 years. Since 1980 an increase of about 15 percent has been noted in children. During the 1950′s the rate of increase was as low as 5 percent.
Atopic dermatitis is also more commonly found among the higher social classes.
