This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Eczema (irritant contact)

Authoring team

Irritant contact dermatitis is a non immunologic response which occurs as a result of direct damage to the skin by exogenous caustic or irritating chemicals or physical agents.

  • no prior exposure to the agent is necessary,
  • once the keratin in the skin has been impaired, chemicals are able to pass into the cellular component of the epidermis and cause an inflammatory reaction
  • finger web spaces in hands and the face are commonly affected
  • is the most common cause of industrial dermatitis (1,2).

Responsible for around 80% of contact dermatitis cases

  • common irritants include - soaps, detergents, water, solvents, cutting oils, and food ingredients (2)

Reference:

  1. Eberting C.L, Blickenstaff N, Goldenberg, A. Pathophysiologic Treatment Approach to Irritant Contact Dermatitis. Curr Treat Options Allergy 2014; 1: 317
  2. Rashid RS, Shim TN. Contact dermatitis. BMJ. 2016;353:i3299.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.