Neurodermatitis (also atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis) is a chronic form of dermatitis. The main symptoms are red, scaly and at times even wetting eczema on the skin and strong itching sensations.

Neurodermatitis is not curable but treatable, many different treatments are available but the degree of remedy they deliever depends on the individual patient.

The name "Neurodermatitis" derives from the 19th century when it was commonly believed that neuritis causes the illness. This however has been found wrong later on, the name stayed nevertheless.

Epidemiology

Neurodermatitis first appears in early childhood but adolescents and adults can contract it. An early sign of the illness is the appearance of milk crust.

According to different sources, the chances of a child contracting neurodermatitis is 5-20%, adults have a chance of 1-3%. 60% of all patients show signs of the illness shortly after birth. Symptoms might disappear as young patients grow up and the illness might vanish completely within the puberty. About 70% of all patients will not show any symptoms of neuroderamtitis when raching the adulthood.

Neurodermatitis is a more common illness nowadays, however, it is controvers whether it is getting diagnosed more often due to the awareness of patiens and doctors or if the illness is appearing more often.

Symptoms

Symptoms occur at different points and with different characteristics. Neurodermatitis can also result in asthma or allergic coryza.

The illness often appears in attacks of different length and intensity which makes it difficult to find out a specific reason for the attack.

The main problem is the strong itching sensation patients are undergoing, which can also cause interference with sleeping habits. Neurodermatitis causes the skin to be dry and extremely senstive, it often has a red appearance. In combination with the strong itching sensation, to which the patients have the urgent need to respond with scratching, this will cause the skin to become seamy easily. This results in eczema which can cause wetting of the skin, increasing the itching sensations; a vicious circle is being formed. The most common neurodermatitis spots include the arms, especially the armcrooks, the hollows of the knee, neck and face.

Some neurodermatitis-patients also suffer from strong allergies, most commonly dust, pollen and animal hair, which can make the illness worse. Note: neurodermatitis is not an allergy but shows similar symptoms since already the contact to a certain type of fabric for example can cause skin rash.

Due to the sensitive and seamy skin, neurodermatitis-patients are easily affected by infections. In combination with the herpes-simplex virus, Ekzema Herpeticatum may appear. This results in the formation and rapid spread of blisters in the neurodermatitis-affected areas and also a high fever, which often can only be solved by clinical treatment.

Another common symptom is the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria cause the skin to wet, creating a better milieu for themselves, which results in an increased presence of the bacteria, which is responsible for the worsening of the skin condition. A vicious circle forms.

Many patients suffer from the change in their appearance; the neurodermatitis can evolve into a cosmetical problem which affects the psychological state of the patients. Especially children are affected by this as they often are victims of bullying, in the worst case patients can become socially isolated due to the often occuring scratching and the appearance of the skin.

External links

• Neurodermatitis Discussion Board