ABSTRACT
The term eczema includes several disorders in which inflammation is focused on the epidermis. Typically, epidermal cells become oedematous and accumulate oedema fluid between them, leading to vesicles and sometimes blisters in the most severe and acute cases. Mononuclear inflammatory cells accumulate around the dermal capillaries and vasodilation accompanies the oedema that is also present in the dermis of the affected area. The major clinical problem in this disease is constant itching, which makes the patient restless. In addition patients are subject to irregular episodes of intense and quite disabling intensification of the pruritus. The itchiness is made worse by changes in temperature, by rough clothing and by sundry other minor environmental alterations. Dry skin is a common accompaniment of atopic dermatitis. Skin biopsy of a recently appearing patch of eczema reveals spongiosis, marked epidermal thickening, parakeratosis and an inflammatory cell infiltrate, oedema and vasodilatation in the dermis.
