Conditions

Can Eczema be prevented? Exclusive breast feeding for at least 6 months has been shown to be the best risk reduction factor in the prevention and development of Atopic Dermatitis. Children exclusively breast fed for 4 months or more had significantly less Atopic Dermatitis compared with children receiving partial breast feeding.   Dermatologist Dr Belinda Vaz delves deep into the causes, types and preventive measures for Atopic Dermatitis or eczema in children. 

How is Atopic Dermatitis or Eczema diagnosed? Most dermatologists are able to make a diagnoses of Atopic Dermatitis very easily in a typical patient. A doctor makes a diagnoses of Atopic dermatitis in a child based on clinical features rather than laboratory tests. A detailed history about the nature of the symptoms, when they occur, possible triggers, a family history of allergic diseases, whether the child also has asthma, hay fever or rhinitis, previous treatments taken and a detailed…

Atopic Dermatitis may present differently at different stages of a child's development.  Infancy In infants, Atopic Dermatitis typically starts at around 6 to 12 weeks of age. About 60% of patients develop AD within the first year of life and 85% by the age of 5. The earlier the onset the more likely is a more severe course. The rash tends to be more generalized in younger babies and more localized in older children. It often appears on the cheeks and chin as a patchy facial rash that…

Symptoms vary from patient to patient. Itching is the most common symptom and may be severe and uncontrollable. When the child itches a particular area of the skin, the surrounding skin reacts to light touch by itching (this phenomenon is called allokinesis). Scratching the skin causes the inflammation to increase and makes the rash worse, leading to more inflammation and itching. This is called the itch-scratch cycle. The child often scratches till the skin bleeds. The itching may be so…

There is no one single reason for Atopic Dermatitis. Atopic Dermatitis is a result of a combination of one’s genes, various factors in the environment around us, the way the skin reacts, a defect in the skin’s barrier function and the immune system: Heredity: The genes that one inherits, play a role in the development of Atopic Dermatitis. Children of parents who have Atopic Dermatitis or other atopic conditions like asthma or hay fever are more likely to develop this disorder. It is not…

Dermatologist Dr Belinda Vaz delves deep into the causes, types and preventive measures for Atopic Dermatitis or eczema in children.  What is Atopic Dermatitis or childhood eczema? The word ‘eczema’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘to boil over’. Eczema is a red itchy rash. It is a general term that includes several types of inflammation of the skin. Atopic Dermatitis is the most common of the many types of eczema. Atopy refers to a group of diseases, where there is an inherited…

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is gaining the form of ‘silent epidemic’ with rise of road traffic accidents.  In India 1.5 - 2 million people sustain TBI and 1 million succumb to death annually. Here we speak to physiotherapists of the Indian Head Injury Foundation on intense rehabilitation programme after brain injury.  What are the main causes of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?      Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury are RTA (road traffic accident )/ Motor vehicle…

When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, they and their family caregivers need to suddenly learn a new vocabulary of terms. It can be overwhelming to look at various reports and make sense of what it means. PatientsEngage has put together a glossary of various cancer related terms. Bookmark this for easy reference. If you don't find the term you are looking for leave a comment below or send us a note through contact us and we will update the content.       …

On World Scleroderma Day, Scleroderma India had organised an online conference. One session was a detailed discussion by Dr. Kaushik Bhojani, senior Rheumatologist, Mumbai on the effect of Scleroderma on the sexual health of Scleroderma patients and how they can address it to improve quality of life. This session is also applicable to persons living with Sjogren’s Syndrome and Myositis. Scleroderma is primarily a disease of women although it can affect men and, in some cases, quite severely. So…