Review journal

Clinical manifestations

• Inflammatory skin condition with a predilection for the skin flexures.

• It is characterized by poorly defined erythema with edema, vesicles, and weeping in the acute stage and skin thickening (lichenification) in the chronic stage.

• Assessing disease severity is problematic when there is no objective marker.

• The many severity scales used in clinical trials are generally not suitable for rapid assessment in the clinic.

• The presence or absence of sleep disturbance, the number and location of involved sites, and the clinical course are the indicators of severity that probably provide the best basis for making decisions about treatment.

• Concomitant food allergy may be manifested as urticaria and gastrointestinal symptoms and may not necessarily exacerbate atopic dermatitis.

• Double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges are the standard for diagnosing associated food allergy, but they are time consuming and not available in many hospitals.