What is atopic eczema?
Atopic eczema is a common skin condition and may start at any age, but the onset is often in childhood. It is estimated that up to 1 in 5 children will be affected by eczema at some point.
The term ‘atopic’ is used to describe a group of conditions, which include asthma, eczema and hay-fever. These conditions are all linked by an increased activity of the allergy reaction of the body’s immune system. ‘Eczema’ is a term which comes from the Greek word ‘to boil’ and is used to describe red, dry, itchy skin which sometimes weeps, blisters, crusts, scales and thickens.
What causes atopic eczema?
Atopic eczema is a complex condition and a number of factors appear important for its development including patient susceptibility and environmental factors. Patients typically have alterations in their skin barrier, and increased inflammatory and allergy responses. Environmental factors include contact with soaps, detergents and any other chemicals applied to the skin, exposure to allergens, and infection with certain bacteria and viruses. A tendency to atopic conditions often runs in families.
An alteration in a gene that is important for maintaining a healthy skin barrier has been closely linked to the development of eczema, so the skin of patients affected by eczema are much more susceptible to infection, and allows irritating substances or particles to enter the skin, causing itching and inflammation. Atopic eczema cannot be caught from somebody else; it is not infectious.
(British Association of Dermatologists, 2024)
