Atopic dermatitis and contact eczema

Atopic dermatitis or eczema is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that appears recurrently and is localized on certain parts of the body.

The dominant symptoms are intense itching and dry skin. In a large number of patients these disorders are accompanied by asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis.

Eczema or contact dermatitis is a different process, which corresponds to an inflammatory skin disease, often with acute onset and possible chronic evolution, also characterized by persistent itching and showing different evolutionary stages from simple redness or erythema to a desquamative process and chronic thickening of the skin (lichenification).

The causes of contact eczema can be various (toxic, irritative, etc.), but the most important are allergic contact with metals (nickel, chromium, etc.) or different chemical products (resins, perfumes, colorants). Latex can also cause this type of reactions.