Eczema and Skin Infections

May 20, 2016
Eczema and Skin Infections

Eczema is sometimes called dermatitis, which means inflammation or swelling of the skin. There are various types of eczema and their Symptoms. The most common one is Atopic eczema. In this type of eczema, there is a typical pattern of skin inflammation which causes the disease. The term atopic describes people with certain allergic tendencies. However, atopic eczema is not just a normal allergic condition. People with atopic eczema have an increased chance of developing other atopic conditions, like asthma and hay fever.

People who have atopic dermatitis are specifically prone to skin infections. This is in part due to the cracks in the skin from very dry, split skin and from scratching the itchy areas. People with atopic dermatitis does seem to have a lower ability to fight against these common bacteria on the skin. As a result people with atopic dermatitis normally suffer from boils, folliculitis and infections of their eczema. This begins a ferocious cycle as infection causes the eczema to worsen and become more resistant to the usual medication with emollients and topical steroids. Antibiotics are often required to eliminate the infection before the eczema can once more be brought under control.

Symptoms of Eczema-Related Skin Infections:

  • Pus-producing blisters
  • Yellow-orange or honey-colored crust over the lesions
  • Infected hair follicles
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
    • Swollen lymph nodes

Here’s the latest research on eczema and skin infections “Update on systemic therapies for atopic dermatitis”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22622476

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