Allergic dermatitis in adults

Contents

What is allergic dermatitis
Useful information about allergic dermatitis
Causes of allergic dermatitis in adults
Symptoms of allergic dermatitis in adults
Effective treatment of allergic dermatitis in adults
Prevention of allergic dermatitis in adults at home
Popular questions and answers

Redness on the skin, accompanied by itching, may be manifestations of allergic dermatitis. This reaction can be caused by anything from laundry detergent to pollen, so it is important to know how to get rid of the symptoms and what is the prevention of allergic dermatitis.

The problem of allergic diseases is extremely relevant at the present time. Around the world, about one billion people face this problem. In Russia, the percentage of people suffering from allergies is, on average, 15-35%. However, this number is increasing every year.¹.

A person can experience allergic dermatitis at any age. Most often, the disease occurs in people with chronic allergies, bronchial asthma, urticaria. People whose relatives have experienced this disease, that is, those who have a hereditary factor, are also susceptible to allergic dermatitis.

What is allergic dermatitis

Allergic dermatitis is a skin lesion that occurs due to exposure to the body of an allergen. The consequences may appear after 12-48 hours in the form of unpleasant symptoms of dermatitis (itching, peeling, spots, rash).

Useful information about allergic dermatitis

Types	Manifestations
Toxicoderma	In this case, the allergen is a substance that enters the human body through the blood. Basically, the reaction is caused by food and drug allergens.
Fixed erythema	A specific type of toxicoderma. It occurs as a response of the body to taking certain medications and manifests itself in the form of skin rashes in the same place. The disease can be both congenital and acquired during long-term use of the same drug.².
Phytodermatitis	The allergen is pollen and plant sap. It develops when the juice of plants, such as milkweed, citrus, primrose oil and other plants, comes into contact with the skin.³.
Contact dermatitis	An allergic reaction occurs after direct contact with clothing, household chemicals, decorative cosmetics, building materials, etc.³.

As we mentioned above, allergic dermatitis is most often experienced by people suffering from allergies or bronchial asthma. Basically, these are young people under the age of 40-45 years.

What can cause allergic dermatitis is difficult to predict. It can be a food product, a component of household chemicals or decorative cosmetics, plant pollen, and even familiar clothes or jewelry.

The most common allergens include:

food (nuts, honey, eggs, chicken meat, citrus fruits, wheat, soybeans, oats, mushrooms, fish, seafood, cow’s milk protein);
cosmetics, perfumery;
insect bites;
drug components;
household chemicals;
weeds, flowering trees;
tobacco;
chemicals (varnishes, paints, glue, building materials).

Causes of allergic dermatitis in adults

Initially, the cause of allergies is the reaction of the immune system to repeated interaction with the allergen. The most common substances, which in most people do not cause any reaction, have a completely different effect on allergy sufferers. Their immunity perceives the allergen as a danger and begins to fight them in order to protect the body.

Allergies are not always congenital, this problem can be encountered at any age. However, it must be remembered that if both parents in the family suffer from some kind of allergic reaction, the likelihood of developing an allergy in their child reaches 80%. In the case of one allergic person in the family, this percentage drops to 40. But even if no one has an allergy in the family history, the probability of its occurrence during a lifetime remains at the level of 20%.

Symptoms of allergic dermatitis in adults

Allergy symptoms are hard to miss. Often they can be similar to the symptoms of eczema. With allergic dermatitis, red spots appear on the skin, sometimes with small bubbles that can burst. When the inflammatory process begins to subside, the affected area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe skin becomes covered with a crust, which is formed from a drying liquid from bursting bubbles and dying skin particles. The most unpleasant symptom is itching, which may not subside even at night.

If we talk about the chronic form of allergic dermatitis, then it is accompanied by peeling and thickening of the skin, skin pigmentation may be disturbed.

You may also experience symptoms such as:

swelling;
burning;
dry skin;
pain at the site of the rash.

Effective treatment of allergic dermatitis in adults

Correct and effective treatment can only be prescribed by a specialist after a full-time appointment and anamnesis of the patient. In case of allergic dermatitis, you should consult a dermatologist or an allergist-immunologist.

Treatment, as a rule, in most cases is multi-stage, systemic. It looks something like this:

identification and complete elimination of the allergen that causes a negative reaction;
the use of antihistamine drugs;
the use of softening, moisturizing, antipruritic and anti-inflammatory ointments;
removal of the allergen and cleansing the body with the help of diet and sorbents.

In adult patients, the already chronic form of the disease is more common. In this case, preference is given to external hormonal preparations, which in a short time allow you to remove unpleasant symptoms. Such funds quickly and effectively relieve itching, remove swelling, inflammation and redness. It is not recommended to use hormonal drugs during treatment for more than 2-3 weeks, as side effects may develop.⁴.

In addition to hormonal therapy, additional treatment with local non-hormonal drugs is prescribed. They reduce the negative load on the body and can be used for a longer time. Products in this category may come in the form of creams, gels, or ointments. They effectively eliminate peeling, relieve itching and pain, and also have an antimicrobial effect.

Many forms of allergic dermatitis are successfully treated at home. To restore the body, on average, 10-15 days of treatment are enough. At the same time, it is extremely important to follow a diet and eliminate the effect of the allergen on the body.

Diagnostics

To make a diagnosis of allergic dermatitis, you must consult a dermatologist or an allergist-immunologist.

At the initial contact with a specialist, the following recommendations can be given:

take a blood test (biochemical, for specific IgE to irritants);
pass skin-allergic tests;
skin scrapings may be required to exclude pathologies not associated with allergies.

After passing all the examinations, the doctor must exclude diseases such as psoriasis, neurodermatitis, fungal and bacterial skin infections. If the results of the studies confirm the presence of an allergy, the specialist will be able to determine its type and form an effective treatment regimen.

If a patient presents with a chronic form of the disease, the list of recommended studies will look different. And skin tests will play the main role here.

Preparations

For effective treatment, one remedy will not be enough; an integrated approach is important. For this, a number of drugs are used:

ointments, creams, hormonal and non-hormonal sprays, with anti-inflammatory and healing effects;
enterosorbents that “bind” allergens and remove them from the body;
antibiotics and antifungals to treat a secondary infection.

Non-hormonal agents

With a mild course of the disease, non-hormonal preparations will become effective helpers – for example, ointments and creams that contain zinc, vitamins A and E, and glycerin. These components help dry weeping areas of the skin, heal existing wounds, relieve peeling and itching, relieve inflammation and fill the skin with the necessary moisture and nutrition.

The most popular products from this category: D-Panthenol, Radevit, Zinocap, Eplan, Skin cap, zinc ointment. These drugs can be used both for monotherapy and as adjuvants after hormone therapy.

Hormonal remedies

These are drugs based on synthetic corticosteroid hormones. They are prescribed in more difficult situations, when non-hormonal therapy did not give the desired result. Hormonal drugs also relieve itching, inflammation and swelling.

The most popular products from this category: Gistan, Akriderm, Advantan, Celestoderm V, Lokoid, Elocom.

Antihistamines

In the treatment of allergic dermatitis, it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without antihistamines. Penetrating into the body, the allergen begins to irritate the body’s receptors. At the same time, histamine begins to be actively produced, which triggers an inflammatory reaction.

In order to block the action of histamine, it is necessary to use antihistamines during the acute phase of the disease.

The most popular products from this category: Erius, Tsetrin, Kestin, Loratadin, Rolinoz.

Enterosorbents

Enterosorbents help cleanse the body, reduce the load on the liver and intestines, fight allergens. The drugs work only if the allergen has entered the body through the gastrointestinal tract, and are effective only 1-2 days from the onset of the disease.

The most popular products from this category: Polisorb, activated carbon, Enterosgel.

Antibiotics to treat a secondary infection

Patients suffering from toxicoderma are susceptible to the formation of open wounds due to scratching. Secondary infection with pathogenic bacteria can occur through unprotected skin. If a patient develops suppuration or ulcers that external agents cannot cope with, experts prescribe antibiotics inside.

The most popular means from this category: Sumamed, Erythromycin, Doxycycline.

It is important to remember that only a doctor can prescribe an effective treatment regimen. Self-selection of funds and their uncontrolled intake can only complicate the course of the disease.

Diet

Diet is an integral part of the treatment of allergic dermatitis. Exacerbations of the disease in adults can often occur precisely when control over nutrition disappears, and new foods appear in the daily menu or those that have already had a reaction.

During the period of exacerbation of the disease, simple recommendations should be followed:

completely eliminate allergenic foods;
do not introduce into the diet foods that you have not tried before.

An important step is the observance of the drinking regimen. Water helps the body cleanse itself faster, prevent dehydration and improves metabolic processes.

Prevention of allergic dermatitis in adults at home

Allergic dermatitis is difficult to cure, but this is not a sentence. With this diagnosis, you can live quite comfortably, the main thing is to find and exclude allergens from your life.

Be sure to visit a dermatologist or immunologist-allergist, who will adjust the treatment during periods of exacerbations, and in no case self-medicate, so as not to cause even more harm to your body.