Terms used to describe Eczema
Different names may be used for eczema depending on specific features of the skin condition. All of these terms are used to describe forms of eczema and are covered by the blanket term ‘Eczema’ used in this guidance. These names and some terms are explained or defined below.
| Eczema | An umbrella term for a group of skin conditions where the skin is dry itchy, irritated or inflamed. |
| Atopic eczema | The commonest type of eczema - the condition runs in families. |
| Atopic dermatitis | Another name for Atopic eczema. |
| Flexural eczema | Eczema on backs of knees, front of elbows and inner side of wrist. |
| Infantile eczema | Eczema that begins in infancy. |
| Seborrheoic eczema or dermatitis | This is when the rash is greasy rather than dry. It usually begins on the scalp in babies and can spread to other areas - often it resolves by age 1. |
| Cradle cap | Seborrheoic eczema affecting the scalp in babies – common in babies under age 1. |
| Allergic contact eczema | Eczema that develops due to contact with an allergen in a person with an allergy e.g. eczema in a cat allergic person after stroking a cat. |
| Irritant contact eczema | Eczema that develops after skin contact with irritant substances such as house hold cleaners – no allergic mechanism is involved. |
| Discoid eczema | Round scaly patches of eczema commonly on the arms and/or legs. |
| Pompholyx | A type of eczema that affects the palms of the hands and sometimes the soles of the feet. It causes small blisters which resemble frogspawn. |
| Eczema herpeticum | An acute condition – large areas of damaged skin become infected with herpes virus. The child is likely to be very unwell and hospital treatment is required. |
| Cellulitis | An acute infection with bacteria of the deeper layers of the skin. Requires treatment with antibiotics. |
Eczema triggers and their avoidance
Children with eczema have dry skin that is easily irritated by soaps and shampoos, household cleaners and clothes containing wool. 90% of children with eczema are allergic to house dust mites. Minimising exposure to these in the home is very difficult because contact with a small amount of allergen sufficient to exacerbate eczema is hard to prevent. Around 10% of children have a food allergy; avoidance of the relevant food can significantly improve the eczema.
Molluscum contagiosum is a common viral infection of the skin in small children. The condition causes crops of small wart-like bumps to appear on the skin. It is generally harmless but itching and scratching of these areas in children with eczema can lead to broken skin, areas of cellulitis and patches of difficult to control eczema. Molluscum can exacerbate eczema for several years.
Triggers may significantly aggravate eczema. Some such as house dust mites (HDM) will be difficult to avoid. Others such as household cleaners and woollen garments are easy to avoid. Parents are likely to put the most effort into avoiding food allergy triggers. This is because it is an effective way of minimising eczema in a child with a food allergy and because they will have received medical advice that it is important to do this.
