What is eczema? What causes eczema? – Medical News Today

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Eczema is also known as atopic dermatitis, or atopic eczema (the most common form of eczema). Atopic eczema mainly affects children, but it can continue into adulthood or start later in life. The word eczema comes from the Greek word ekzein meaning "to boil out"; the Greek word ek means "out", while the Greek word zema means boiling.

Eczema is a chronic skin condition in which the skin becomes itchy, reddened, cracked and dry. Approximately 30% of all skin-related GP visits in Western Europe result in a diagnosis of atopic eczema. It affects both males and females equally, as well as people from different ethnic backgrounds. Most GPs (general practitioners, primary care physicians) in Western Europe, North America and Australia say the number of people diagnosed each year with eczema is has been rising in recent years.

Atopy is the hereditary predisposition toward developing some hypersensitivity reactions, such as hay fever, asthma, chronic urticaria, and some types of eczema. Atopic eczema, therefore, means a form of eczema characterized by atopy - in other words, inherited eczema.

Approximately 80% of atopic eczema cases start before the age of 5, and a sizeable number develop it during their first year of life.

Scottish researchers reported that children with severe eczema feel their quality of life is impaired to the same extent as those with chronic illnesses such as epilepsy, kidney disease and diabetes.

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What is eczema? What causes eczema? - Medical News Today