THE MAIN TYPES OF ECZEMATOUS DERMATITIS: A NARRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Eczematous dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin with spongiosis, a finding on pathological examination that is nothing more than intercellular edema between the keratinocytes. In its acute phase, it may present with erythema and edema with the formation of vesicles. Due to the itching caused by this condition, the patient may develop a chronic condition with lichenification, characterized by thickening of the skin, predominantly in areas of skin folds. It is known that dermatitis is caused by two predominant factors: genetic predisposition and exposure to exogenous factors. Both are related to the cause of dermatitis in several patients who are affected by this inflammation. Therefore, this narrative literature review brought together articles from the main databases aiming to identify the main types of eczematous dermatitis. It was concluded that the main types of eczematous dermatitis are: contact with primary irritant, allergic contact, seborrheic and atopic. Because of their clinical pattern, the types of dermatitis are differentiated through the predominant signs and symptoms in each case, which, when recognized, provide the patient with appropriate and specific treatment.