This review describes eczematous dermatitis, or eczema, a skin disease that is characterized by erythematous vesicular, weeping, and crusting patches; atopic dermatitis, a common chronic inflammatory dermatosis that generally begins in infancy; and the ichthyoses, a group of diseases of cornification that are characterized by excessive scaling. The purpose of this review is to examine the major variants, epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of these dermatologic diseases. Figures depict chronic eczematous dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis to poison ivy, seborrheic dermatitis, nummular eczema, acute eczematous patches, lichenified patches that appear after chronic rubbing of eczematous patches, erythroderma (total body erythema), and marked scaling (acquired ichthyosis). Tables list the diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis and the differential diagnosis of atopic dermatitis.
This review contains 9 highly rendered figures, 2 tables, and 88 references.