Overview
Contact dermatitis is
any skin disorder brought about by contact with an exogenous substance that
triggers an allergic and/or irritant response, as stated in the Introduction section.
Irritant contact
dermatitis (ICD) accounts for approximately 80% of all contact dermatitis
cases, while allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) comprises the remaining 20%. A detailed
discussion about the prevalence of contact dermatitis is in the Epidemiology section.
The developmental processes in the development
of allergic and irritant contact dermatitis are in the Pathophysiology section.
The Risk Factors section enumerates the
conditions and things associated with the development of contact dermatitis.
The Classification
section differentiates allergic contact dermatitis from irritant
contact dermatitis.
Contact Dermatitis_Disease Summary
History and Physical Examination
The Clinical
Presentation section
describes the clinical features suggestive of allergic contact dermatitis and
irritant contact dermatitis.
The History section and the Physical Examination section list the
important information and evaluation in patients suspected of contact
dermatitis.
Diagnosis
Discussions on patch
testing and repeat open application test (ROAT) in the detection of allergic
contact dermatitis in suspected patients are in the Laboratory Tests and Ancillaries
section.
Other conditions that are considered in the
diagnosis of contact dermatitis are listed in the Differential Diagnosis section.
Management
The Pharmacological
Therapy section discusses therapeutic
options for patients diagnosed with allergic and irritant contact dermatitis.
The Nonpharmacological
section explains the importance of identifying and eliminating
trigger factors, appropriate skin care, the use of compresses and wet dressings,
and phototherapy in the management of contact dermatitis.
The Monitoring section identifies indications
for follow-up and specialist referral in patients with contact dermatitis.
