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CONTACT DERMATITIS
Author(s) -
KRASTEVA MAYA
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1993.tb05022.x
Subject(s) - medicine , dermatology , contact dermatitis , allergy , immunology
Contact dermatitis is an increasing problem all over the world. As the outermost barrier of the human body, the skin is first to encounter chemical and physical factors of the environment. Classical contact dermatitis originates from external contact of the skin with an irritant or allergic noxious agent. "Eczema" and "dermatitis" are often used synonymously to denote a polymorphic pattern of inflammation of the skin characterized, at least in its acute phase, by erythema, vesiculation, and pruritus.' The clinical presentation varies depending on the identity of the triggering agent and the reactivity of the subject, but in all cases the lesions are primarily confined to the site of contact. According to the mechanism of elicitation, the following types of contact reaction may be distinguished: (1) irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), (2) allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), (3) phototoxic and photoallergic contact dermatitis, and (4) immediate type contact reactions.