Dermatitis

The name Dermatitis is given to a number of different skin diseases. The main, and sometimes the only thing, common among them is the pathological process - inflammation - that leads to the emergence of the symptoms and the basic clinical phenomena of the disease.

Like inflammation in any other organ in the body, vasodilation is considered the beginning of inflammation.

what is Dermatitis:

In the case of skin infections, these blood vessels, i.e. the tiny and very small arterioles (capillaries - arteriola), are located inside the skin. This expansion appears in the skin as red spots (erythema) in the affected area.

This dermatitis may appear, for example, after exposure to sunlight. And when the reaction (inflammation) is mild, it does not need any treatment, as these erythema disappear and disappear, automatically, after a short period.

At a later stage of this disease, localized edema appears on the skin. The accumulation of fluid within the skin tissue may lead to the formation of blisters and the secretion of a serous fluid (exudate) that dries up on the surface of the skin in the form of a scab (scab). These symptoms may appear, in some different inflammatory diseases, in a very small number, or they may be multiple, spread over relatively large areas of the skin surface.

All inflammatory skin diseases may be accompanied by itching, which can cause great suffering.

The easiest and mildest type of skin infection is the one that appears as a result of external stimuli, sunlight or hot water. This type of inflammation may also appear as a result of touching different substances, whether acidic or basic. The reason for this is due to the very high concentration in these materials, or to their high temperature. Contact with such substances can trigger an inflammatory reaction in the skin.

This reaction is called primary irritation, and it can be prevented by changing the conditions that led to it, such as reducing the concentration of a substance or lowering its temperature.

Allergic contact dermatitis

It is another form of skin inflammation that arises, it is also due to direct contact with the cause of dermatitis, but after a more complex disease process.

Allergic contact dermatitis is an allergic disease, which arises due to allergy. This disease does not affect anyone who comes into contact with the cause of dermatitis, but only affects people who have an allergy to this cause. And the change in the concentration of the substance or lowering its temperature does not help here to prevent the emergence of this type of skin infection. If allergy is present, any repeated contact with the inflammatory agent may lead to the infection again.

Both types of contact dermatitis, allergic and nonallergic, can appear as a result of working conditions, that is, as a result of exposure to the cause of dermatitis during work. As mentioned above, in the case of initial irritation, a change in the concentration of the substance is sufficient in order for the patient to continue performing his work and tasks of his job, without touching the substance again causing the disease to reappear. In the event of an allergy, it is not possible to continue working in the same place, and the worker must search for another workplace.

Therefore, in the case of allergy, this disease is considered an occupational disease, while the case of "initial irritation" can be considered a type of work injury (work accident) - an accident that does not necessarily recur.

Due to these reasons, it is important and necessary to diagnose each case by itself and determine the type of infection to which it belongs, although the symptoms may be very similar in both types, which makes the diagnosis difficult. What can help in the diagnosis process is the history of the disease (Anamnesis) Data - Did the disease appear in all workers who came into contact with these substances, or only some of them? Also, in the process of diagnosis, it may be helpful to monitor and monitor symptomatic "behaviors" of the disease (for example, in the initial irritation the inflammation remains confined to the area of ​​direct contact with the substance only, while in allergic inflammation there is a tendency to spread the rash to other areas in addition to the area of ​​contact. " Direct). It is also possible to use a special laboratory test - the patch test, which results are positive in the case of allergic contact dermatitis, and negative in the case of primary irritation due to a chemical substance.

The factors causing other skin infections can be varied and different, but the name of the disease does not always express the inflammatory nature of the disease. On the other hand, the names of some of these diseases emphasize the inflammatory character in a prominent way (for example: atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, or in addition to itis, at least, as is followed in the names of other organ infections, such as: Folliculitis - or cellulitis.

Diagnosing dermatitis:

The initial diagnosis of the disease depends on the advantages and characteristics of the blisters, such as: their sizes, colors, the stage of development they have reached, their locations and shapes in different places of the skin, as these factors may be characteristic of different diseases.

Dermatitis treatment:

The treatment of dermatitis depends on the nature of the disease.

Symptoms can be treated topically by moisturizing with steroid creams in severe cases, or steroid ointments in less severe cases without secretions.

Sometimes it may not be possible to use steroids for general treatment (tablets or injection).

In allergic inflammation, the key is to detect the cause of the inflammation and avoid contact with it, to avoid developing allergic reactions.