Atopic dermatitis is a chronic disease characterized by a production defect in the quantity and quality of the skin’s natural sebum. It has important functions on the skin epithelium, including maintaining hydration and the immune response to external infectious agents.
This disease usually affects children who, for the reasons mentioned, have dry skin and eczema with a tendency to become infected. It manifests itself with roughness to the touch of the skin and red, scaly plaques that cause intense itching (eczema) in different areas of the body. It usually occurs in outbreaks, with periods of greater stability and others in which very itchy lesions appear.
As for treatment , it is essential to talk to the patient’s parents, advise on the patient’s hygiene and hydration habits, and explain how and when to carry out the medical treatment of the lesions. It is preferable to carry out a simple treatment on a regular basis than to opt for expensive preparations used incorrectly. In most cases that are not complicated, through simple domestic measures it is possible to reduce the intensity and number of outbreaks economically. In patients with severe atopic dermatitis, in addition to the measures mentioned, it is necessary to use topical application formulas and even oral treatments to regulate the excess immune response typical of the disease.
Bibliographic references
Dempster J, Jani B, Daly T. Managing eczema in children–a treatment update. J Fam Pract. 2011 Nov; 60(11):660-8.
Shams K, Grindlay DJ, Williams HC. What’s new in atopic eczema? An analysis of systematic reviews published in 2009-2010. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2011 Aug; 36(6):573-7.