Eczema is a skin disease in humans and animals

Eczema - Histology

Eczema is an inflammatory condition that affects the upper layers of the skin. It is characterized by a persistent, chronic course. It can appear anywhere on the body, but most often the skin on the legs is affected.

To understand how to treat a disease, you need to determine the causes that provoked skin lesions. Since without eliminating the provoking factor, it will be difficult to achieve recovery.

In the absence of proper treatment, eczema can cause serious complications. For example, when an infection is attached, a purulent inflammatory process often develops with the formation of abscesses.

The manifestations of eczema on the legs cause the patient not only physical, but also psychological discomfort, therefore, the disease requires competent and timely therapy.

Causes

The main reason for the formation of eczema is considered to be a hereditary predisposition to the development of allergies. This provokes the development of non-standard reactions of the body to various external stimuli.

Exacerbations of the disease can provoke external or internal causes. When conducting a blood test of patients, an increased content of immune complexes is found, which indicates the autoimmune nature of the disease.

Internal factors that provoke the development of eczema:

• Neurogenic. Skin lesions are often observed in people in whose life there is nervous tension, constant stress, mental trauma. Often, eczema develops against the background of vegetative vascular dystonia
• Diseases of the digestive tract. The cause of skin lesions can be colitis, cholecystitis, gastritis, etc.
• Vascular diseases. Violations of the circulatory system (varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, etc.) can provoke the development of eczema.
• Endocrine pathologies. Diseases manifested by an imbalance of hormones (hyper and hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, etc.) often become a predisposing factor for the development of eczema.
• Long-term and chronic infectious diseases.

External factors that can provoke an exacerbation include:

• hypothermia or overheating;
• a sharp change in climate;
• wearing woolen and synthetic socks and tights, shoes made of artificial materials that do not allow air to pass through;
• exposure to the skin of chemicals;
• fungal lesions of the skin of the legs;
• injuries, especially recurrent ones (for example, constantly rubbing shoes on the feet).

Types and forms

The disease comes in two forms. Acute eczema is characterized by intense symptoms and a violent course. The chronic form is characterized by a periodicity of the course, when periods of relative well-being are replaced by exacerbations.

Depending on the clinical picture, the following types of disease are distinguished:

• Idiopathic or true. This form is characterized by an acute onset, the rash is located symmetrically on both legs. Redness foci with indistinct boundaries appear on the skin. Against the background of reddened skin, bubbles and nodules form, after opening the tires of which erosion is formed. At the same time, serous fluid is released, this stage is called oozing. Over time, crusts form in the lesion. Often, true eczema is chronic. How the manifestations of this disease look on the legs can be seen in the photos placed in this section.
• Numbered or coin-shaped. This type of eczema is one of the most severe and difficult to treat. Coin eczema is manifested by the formation of rounded scaly spots on the body, legs or arms. How the lesions look on the skin can be seen in the photos placed in this section. Against the background of inflamed skin, purulent papules form. Coin eczema is difficult to treat due to the fact that several layers of the skin are affected, so the treatment often lasts for years.
• Microbial. This species develops against the background of chronic infections.
• Varicose. It develops on the legs (most often on the legs) in places of trophic changes. The lesions are bluish or purple in color; this form is characterized by an asymmetric arrangement of the rashes.
• Dyshidrotic. This eczema affects the skin of the soles of the feet and the lateral surfaces of the toes. The disease is characterized by the formation of blisters, nodules, edema, and the development of weeping surfaces.
• Callous. This form, like dyshidrotic eczema, affects the soles of the feet, is characterized by the growth of the stratum corneum and the formation of areas of hyperkeratosis.

Stages

Eczema lasts for a long time, during the course there are six main stages:

• the acute or erythematous stage is characterized by the formation of red spots on the skin, the formation of edema;
• at the papullovesicular stage, against the background of reddened skin, soreness is formed in the form of bubbles and nodules;
• the weeping stage is characterized by the opening of the elements of the rash, and the appearance of serous discharge;
• the cortical stage is the beginning of recovery, dry crusts form in place of the weeping areas;
• the subacute stage is characterized by a subsiding of the inflammatory process, the skin in the affected area becomes dry, flaky, cracks form on it;

With the transition of the disease to the chronic stage, the skin in the affected area, even after the inflammatory process subsides, remains edematous, hyperpigmentation appears on it.

What the skin affected by chronic eczema looks like can be seen in the photos in this section.

Complications

Complications of eczema are caused by associated infections. The affected skin is the gateway for various infections (fungal, viral, bacterial). Because eczema is very itchy, it often causes scratching, which further increases the risk of infection.

With an attached bacterial infection, suppuration is formed, pain appears, a local or general increase in temperature, a deterioration in the general condition.

One of the dangerous complications that eczema can give is erythroderma. With this disease, large areas of the skin are affected, in this case, the patient needs inpatient treatment.

Treatment

A dermatologist prescribes the treatment of eczema. As a rule, systemic and local drugs are used.

For systemic treatment, use:

• antihistamines and drugs that have a desensitizing effect;
• magnesium sulfate or sodium thiosulfate in the form of injections is a treatment for removing the body's sensitivity to allergens;
• sedatives to normalize the nervous system;
• enterosorbents for cleansing and restoring the functions of the gastrointestinal tract, if necessary, treatment with enzymes is carried out to improve digestion processes;
• laxative and diuretic, so that allergens are maximally eliminated from the body;
• immunomodulators;
• in the absence of the effect of therapy, treatment with systemic glucocorticosteroids is prescribed.

Local treatment is selected depending on the type of disease and its stage:

• at the first stage - preparations for relieving itching and ointments for relieving inflammation;
• when the process is running - ointments with glucocorticosteroids;
• with associated infection - specific drugs (antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral)

Additionally, physiotherapy can be prescribed: reflexology, mud therapy, phonophoresis, etc.

Eczema in our smaller brothers

Not only humans, but also dogs and cats suffer from skin diseases. In animals, eczema affects the surface layers of the skin located just under the coat. The development of the disease is provoked by internal and external factors. Internal reasons include:

• chronic diseases;
• improper nutrition;
• obesity;
• taking certain medications;
• considerable age.

Often, a dog or cat develops eczema, provoked by external influences:

Symptoms of eczema on the body of a dog or cat are not very different from symptoms of the disease in humans. First, the skin turns red, then blisters, oozing, crusts form on it. In this case, the animal experiences severe itching and often scratches the affected area. Small breed cats and dogs may have common symptoms - fever, refusal to eat, vomiting, etc.

The veterinarian prescribes treatment for the animal. Usually, drugs are prescribed soothing and anti-allergic action (bromine, calcium chloride, etc.). Additionally, animals are given antihistamines, diuretics.

It is necessary to normalize the pet's nutrition, introduce multivitamins into its diet.

The hair in the affected area must be carefully cut and local treatment carried out:

• at the stage of wetting, the skin is treated with a 2% solution of silver nitrate;
• when crusts begin to form, use zinc or salicylic-zinc ointment;
• in severe cases, I use hormonal ointments.

So eczema is a disease that affects both humans and animals. Treatment should be carried out immediately after the first symptoms are detected, in order to prevent the transition of the disease to a chronic form.