A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
- Inspection (viewing) of skin and mucous membranes [acute eczema:
- Stage erythematosum – acute eczema reaction with erythema (areal redness of the skin) confined to the site of skin irritation; mild cases in this stage heal after a few days
- Stage vesicolosum – with stronger reaction formation of vesicles (small vesicles; rarely larger than a pinhead), which are filled with clear fluid or stage papulosum, that is, formation of papules (no nodules); this is usually accompanied by pruritus (itching)
- Stage madidans – bursting of the vesicles.
- Stage crustosum – crusting of the weeping areas.
- Stage squamosum – scaling or desquamation (phase of healing).
Chronic eczema:
- Simultaneous and alternating coexistence of the different forms of reaction (erythema/redness of the skin, vesicles (vesicles), papules (nodules), crusta (crusts), squama (scales)); often scratch-related marks.
- Lichenification – extensive leathery change in the skin]
- Inspection (viewing) of skin and mucous membranes [acute eczema:
- If necessary, dermatological examination
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
