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Dermatitis, Atopic

Dennis E Hughes, DO FACEP Reviewed 04/2024
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • A chronic, relapsing, inflammatory, intensely pruritic skin disease

  • Early onset cases have coexisting allergen sensitization more often than late onset cases.

  • Clinical phenotypical pre...

DIAGNOSIS

Clinical diagnosis 

HISTORY

  • Presence of major symptoms, including relapsing of condition, family history, typical distribution, and morphology necessary to make diagnosis of AD

  • Most prevalent s...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

  • Minimize flare-ups and control the duration and intensity of flare-up.

  • Avoid agents that may cause irritation (e.g., wool, perfumes).

  • Minimize sweating.

  • Lukewarm (not hot) bathi...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

Evaluate to ensure that secondary bacterial or fungal infection does not develop as a result of disruption of the skin barrier. Most patients wi...

REFERENCES

1
Frazier W, Bhardwaj N. Atopic Dermatitis: Diagnosis and Treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2020;101(10):590-598. PMID: 32412211.
2
Berkey F, Wiedemer J. Atopic dermatitis: More than just a rash. J...

SEE ALSO

Algorithm: Rash 

CODES

ICD10

  • L20.9 Atopic dermatitis, unspecified

  • L20.89 Other atopic dermatitis

  • L20.83 Infantile (acute) (chronic) eczema

  • L20.84 Intrinsic (allergic) eczema

  • L20.82 Flexural eczema

SNOMED

  • 24079001 Atopic derm...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Institute early and proactive treatment to reduce inflammation. Use the lowest potency topical steroid that controls symptoms.

  • Monitor for secondary bacterial infection.

  • Frequent systemi...

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