Itchy dry skin, sore scratched areas, dandruff and always the feeling of being at the mercy of his skin – neurodermatitis has increased sharply in recent decades, almost every 10th child shows signs of this inflammatory skin disease.
What is neurodermatitis?
Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease with severe itching. It is also known as endogenous eczema and atopic dermatitis. In Germany, more than 6 million people suffer from it.
The disease often manifests itself in infancy and can persist into adulthood. This is the case for every 5th patient. However, it can also first appear at the age of 20 to 25.
Usually in the further course of life an improvement of the clinical picture occurs, however in higher age still 10 to 25% of all neurodermatitis patients are skin sick.
Symptoms: How does neurodermatitis manifest itself?
The main features of atopic dermatitis are itching, nodule formation on the skin and skin coarsening in the affected areas. Usually, the symptoms occur in phases. Other features of atopic dermatitis may include: dry skin and lips, a double lower eyelid crease, frequent skin eczema or skin infections, and pallor of the skin after mechanical stimuli.
Usually, first skin changes begin around the 3rd month of life. The infant’s skin is reddened and small, very itchy blisters appear. Scratching these blisters leads to inflammatory weeping skin symptoms. The scalp and cheeks are particularly affected. Later, the weeping areas dry out and a scab forms. This is also called cradle cap because it looks like dried milk. This cradle cap often disappears on its own, but it can also be the first sign of neurodermatitis.
In children between the ages of 3 and 18, the typical appearance of neurodermatitis occurs, in which the elbows and backs of the knees are particularly affected. Due to frequent scratching, the skin thickens and coarsens in the affected areas. The itching is particularly bad and often leads to sleep disturbances. This can put a strain on the whole family. Such a tense family situation can in turn lead to psychological stress for the child and thus to a further worsening of the disease. Not infrequently, this creates a vicious circle.
Also in this phase, the disease may subside or spread further and also affect the neck, wrists, ankles and backs of the hands. Complications occur when the scratched areas become infected with bacteria, viruses or fungi.
Atopic dermatitis and adults
Often the disease disappears by itself in childhood and improves greatly. In rare cases, there is a lifelong burden of atopic dermatitis, usually alternating periods with severe skin symptoms and periods without skin problems.
However, the disease can also break out for the first time in adulthood. In this case, the hands, ears, neck and face are usually affected by the itchy nodules.
Causes in the development and progression
The exact origin of neurodermatitis is still unclear, but various factors act as possible causes on the clinical picture:
- There is a hereditary predisposition.
- Environmental factors such as climate, air pollution, infections, etc. aggravate the symptoms.
- Excessive skin care (frequent showering or bathing) dry out the skin additionally.
- If allergies to certain substances exist, their absorption leads to a disease flare-up.
- Internal factors such as psychological stress can aggravate the disease.
