Eczema (atopic dermatitis)

Key points to remember about ezema (atopic dermatitis)

What is eczema?

What causes eczema?

How long can eczema last?

What puts my child at risk of getting eczema?

What are the signs and symptoms of eczema?

How can I manage my child’s eczema?

Are there likely to be any complications of eczema?

Where to go for more information about eczema

Acknowledgements

Links

Your notes

Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for educational use only. Please consult your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

Key points to remember about ezema (atopic dermatitis)

eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis) is a dry skin condition
eczema cannot be cured but it can usually be controlled
eczema in not catching (contagious)
avoid things which irritate the skin
go to your GP (general practitioner) as soon as possible if your child’s eczema gets worse or becomes infected

What is eczema?

eczema (or atopic dermatitis) is a dry skin condition that causes the skin to become inflamed (red) and itchy
it usually begins early in childhood

What causes eczema?

The exact cause of eczema is not known but a child is more likely to develop eczema if there is a family history of eczema, asthma or hayfever.

How long can eczema last?

Eczema cannot be cured but it can be controlled with treatment and by avoiding things which can trigger your child’s eczema (see How can I manage my child’s eczema?).

There is a good chance that your child’s eczema will improve or disappear as they get older.

What puts my child at risk of getting eczema?

eczema occurs in about 15 to 20 percent of children
it occurs in children with an allergic tendency
it runs in families and goes hand in hand with asthma and hayfever

What are the signs and symptoms of eczema?

when a child has eczema, their skin feels dry and rough to touch, and it is itchy
the skin can become inflamed (looks red), and may even get infected (gets weepy), particularly with scratching
in babies, the rash often involves the face
in older children, the skin in the creases behind the knees and elbows, around the neck and on the hands is often affected
in some children, the skin over the entire body is affected
at times your child’s skin will look good and at other times it gets worse; this is part of the disease and not caused by bad care

See Acknowledgements for these images.

How can I manage my child’s eczema?

Most eczema can be easily managed at home.

The basic treatment of eczema involves three important messages:

keep the skin moisturised
treat inflammation
treat infection (see Are there likely to be any complications?)

For information about managing and treating your child’s eczema, see:

Treatment of atopic dermatitis¹on the DermNet NZ (New Zealand Dermatological Society) website
Emollients² produced by the Paediatric Community Nursing Team, Child Health Service, Capital and Coast District Health Board
Eczema care for children³ produced by the Paediatric Community Nursing Team, Child Health Service, Capital and Coast District Health Board
Eczema information⁴ produced by Wellington Regional Public Health

Are there likely to be any complications of eczema?

Children with eczema are more likely to get skin infections. The dryness, cracking, itching and scratching that eczema causes, increases the chance of bacteria (or sometimes a virus) breaking through the skin. Infants are particularly at risk of severe skin infections.

See Acknowledgements for this image.

If your child’s eczema gets worse or becomes infected, you will need to take them to your GP (general practitioner). Sometimes, a hospital stay may be necessary.

For more information about eczema complications, see:

Complications of atopic dermatitis⁵ on the DermNet NZ website.

For information about preventing serious skin infections, see:

the Skin infections website⁶

Where to go for more information about eczema

Allergy Centre

The everybody website, published by CMPMedica NZ Ltd, includes information on eczema⁷.

Allergy New Zealand

Allergy New Zealand’s website has a fact sheet about eczema⁸ which includes sections on:

tips for keeping atopic dermatitis under control

Address: PO Box 56 117, Dominion Road, Auckland
Call free on 0800 34 0800
Email: membership@allergy.org.nz
Website: http://www.allergy.org.nz/

DermNet NZ

The website of the New Zealand Dermatological Society has a fact sheet on atopic dermatitis⁹. This includes:

a section, with photos, on what atopic dermatitis looks like
information about infantile atopic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis in pre-schoolers and atopic dermatitis in school-age children
links to other DermNet fact sheets:
– What causes atopic dermatitis?
– Treatment of atopic dermatitis
– Complications of atopic dermatitis
links to more information on other websites

Website: http://www.dermnetnz.org/

Itchy Kids
A New Zealand support group run by parents for parents and whanau of children with eczema.
Email: itchy@itchykids.org.nz
Website: http://www.itchykids.org.nz/

Skin infections website
In recent years, hospitalisations for the treatment of serious skin infections have been increasing in New Zealand. This website has been created by Wellington Regional Public Health and Auckland Regional Public Health Service to inform health professionals, community workers, schools and families about the prevention and treatment of serious skin infections.

This website makes the following resources available:

eczema care for children¹⁰ produced by the Paediatric Community Nursing Team, Child Health Service, Capital and Coast District Health Board
emollients¹¹ produced by the Paediatric Community Nursing Team, Child Health Service, Capital and Coast District Health Board
eczema information¹² produced by Wellington Regional Public Health

Website: http://www.skininfections.co.nz/index.htm

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation website has a fact sheet about eczema (atopic eczema / dermatitis)¹³.

Phone: 64 4 499 4592
Fax: 64 4 499 4594
Email: arf@asthmanz.co.nz

Website: http://www.asthmanz.co.nz/

Acknowledgements

Images of eczema on this page have been reproduced, with permission, from the website of the New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated. Published online at: http://www.dermnetnz.org.

Links (these are the web addresses for the numbered links in the text above)

[1] http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/treatment.html

[2] http://www.skininfections.co.nz/documents/emollients_child.p
df

[3] http://www.skininfections.co.nz/documents/eczema_care_for_ch
ildren.pdf

[4] http://www.skininfections.co.nz/documents/eczema_pamphlet.pd
f

[5] http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/atopic-complications.htm
l

[6] http://www.skininfections.co.nz/index.htm

[7] http://www.everybody.co.nz/page-e806f5a6-00aa-4e28-b6af-5547
3445cc9a.aspx

[8] http://www.allergy.org.nz/about+allergies/eczema.html

[9] http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/atopic.html

[10] http://www.skininfections.co.nz/documents/eczema_care_for_ch
ildren.pdf

[11] http://www.skininfections.co.nz/documents/emollients_child.p
df

[12] http://www.skininfections.co.nz/documents/eczema_pamphlet.pd
f

[13] http://www.asthmanz.co.nz/atopic_eczema.php

Your notes

Endorsement

This fact sheet was endorsed by PSNZ - 20/06/2006

Copyright

Fact sheets are subject to copyright. In the interests of information sharing they may be copied but acknowledgement must be given to PSNZ and Starship Foundation.
© The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation 2005 - 2010

The Paediatric Society of New Zealand
http://www.paediatrics.org.nz

Starship Foundation
http://www.starship.org.nz