Protopic patient
Eczema - Atopic Dermatitis - Eczema Cream - Elidel vs Protopic Until a few years ago I had never even heard of eczema, that is until my daughter started showing signs of it when she was about 2 years old. Eczema is a general term for inflamed skin conditions, with the most common being atopic dermatitis. Approximately 10-20% of the world population is affected by this chronic, itchy rash at some time during childhood. Most children find that the disease slowly goes away with age while others are afflicted for life. The cause is truly unknown, except that the condition seems to be an abnormal response of the body's immune system (the inflammatory response overreacts causing itching and scratching). Eczema is not contagiuos and has no cure although there are many treatments available that may help alleviate the symptoms. Baby eczema typically appears on the forehead, cheeks, forearms, legs, and neck. With my daughter I found it always near the jointed areas (elbow, behind the knees, wrists, etc). The real problem was getting the diagnosis of her being a severe case of eczema. Since so many kids have this disorder at some level, pediatricians are quick to write it off as something they will outgrow, but my daughter never did. It wasn't until the condition became so severe that we finally went to a specialist after all the moisurizers and creams from the pediatrician did little to help.