Skin changes: Eczema (dermatitis)
Although some people use the words eczema and dermatitis to mean different things, most skin doctors now use the words interchangeably and there is no suggestion that one implies an inherited factor rather than an environmental cause. Eczema comes from a Greek word meaning to ‘boil out’ and, as we shall see, this is a good description for one variety of the disease. Dermatitis means inflammation of the skin and this is also accurate.
Eczema is not a single disease but a group of irritating and sore conditions. In severe forms the skin may even weep and blister. There may be an inherited cause, an external trigger or a combination of events leading to the final picture. Eczema affects something like five million people in Britain in degrees from very mild to extremely severe, irregularly or persistently and in ages ranging from the newborn to old age. It is no wonder that a huge amount of money and time is spent on researching the causes and improving the care of sufferers. It is another example of a problem that may not kill people but causes a remarkable amount of suffering. (more…)
