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Atopic dermatitis ( AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a large impact on quality of life of the patients and their families. In most cases, the diagnosis of AD can easily be made based on (family) history and clinical examination. If necessary, a practical set of diagnostic criteria such as the UK diagnostic criteria can be used. During the diagnostic phase, it is important to pay attention to atopic comorbidity, such as allergic airway disease (allergic asthma and/or rhinitis), allergic eye disease (atopic (kerato) conjunctivitis) and immediate-type food allergy. This will not have direct consequences for the treatment of AD, but may be important for the overall well-being of the patient. Psychological factors, such as family circumstances, work/school performance and lifestyle factors should also be explored. Severity scoring using properly validated scoring lists may not be necessary for the diagnosis, however, is recommended for monitoring therapy. Simple scoring systems, such as TIS and IGA are easy to perform in daily practice. Several flare factors in AD, such as exposure to irritants or UV light, can be identified by history and clinical examination: in individual cases, additional diagnostic tests may sometimes be useful to confirm clinical suspicion. There is only limited evidence that allergen exposure to aeroallergens and/or food allergens influences AD severity. Therefore, routine allergen testing is not necessary for diagnosis and treatment of AD. The decision to perform allergen tests mainly depends on atopic comorbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Atopic dermatis ( AD) is a very common inflammatory skin disease in childhood. Various doctors such as paediatricians, general practitioners, allergologists and dermatologists are regularly consulted by these children and their parents, but there is no clear consensus on the diagnostic work-up that should be performed when evaluating a child with eczema. A careful history, clinical examination and adequate documentation of disease severity are essential in all children with eczema, irrespective of their disease severity. AD is a clinical diagnosis; diagnostic criteria, such as the UK diagnostic criteria, can be helpful for an accurate definition of the disease. A careful history, including alarm symptoms, respiratory symptoms and the impact of the disease on psychosocial functioning is important. Clinical scoring lists such as SCORAD and EASI are well validated for clinical studies; they are, however, not very suitable tools in clinical practice. More simple scoring systems, such as Three Item Severity Score ( TIS) and Investigator Global Assessment ( IGA), are more easy to use for clinical record keeping in daily practice. Allergen testing in children with AD without a history of acute non-eczematous reactions after allergen exposure is not necessary. In very young children with eczema, not yet exposed to foods, routine allergen testing is not necessary. If in individual cases, the decision is made to perform allergen tests, oral challenges should performed to confirm the diagnoses of food allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Background Patients with atopic dermatitis show a tendency for vasoconstriction of the small vessels in the skin. As peripheral vasoconstriction contributes to the cause of hypertension, it is natural to suppose that blood pressures might be on the high side in adult patients with atopic dermatitis. In the literature, however, there was little information on the subject. Objectives To study the incidence of hypertension in adult patients with atopic dermatitis. Patients/methods Blood pressure was measured in 521 adult patients with active atopic dermatitis (235 males; 286 females) aged 30–59 years, and 87 adults with ‘healed’ atopic dermatitis (26 males; 61 females) aged 34–52 years. The blood pressures were classified as definite hypertension, borderline hypertension or normal blood pressure. Results In those patients aged 30–39 years with active atopic dermatitis, the incidence of definite hypertension in the male patients and the female patients was 1·1% and 1·6%, respectively. The incidence remained almost at a plateau for the 30–39-year-old age group through to the 50–59-year-old age group, in both the male and female patients. There was no difference in the incidence of definite hypertension between patients with severe dermatitis and patients with mild dermatitis. Adult patients with ‘healed’ atopic dermatitis also showed a low incidence of definite hypertension. Conclusions These findings indicate that hypertension is rare in adult patients with atopic dermatitis. It is most probable that the rarity of hypertension is a primary feature of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 28-year-old British woman who was referred with eczema in both axillae which occurred after the use of deodorants. She was patch tested with the British Contact Dermatitis Society (BCDS) baseline series, aluminum chloride, and fragrance series, and a contact allergy was observed. The study reveals the relation between allergic contact dermatitis affecting the axillae and deodorants.

Presents an abstract of the research paper 'Orthodontic Treatment: A Potential Problem in Atopic Children?,' by B.D. de Silva and V.R. Doherty presented at the annual meeting of the British Contact Dermatitis Group in Great Britain.