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Atopic Hand Eczema

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Textbook of Hand Eczema

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Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an allergic, inflammatory skin disorder, characterized by itching and relapsing dermatitis. The lesional skin is occupied by increased numbers of T cells, eosinophils, and mast cells, and while the acute phase of the inflammatory response in the skin is dominated by Th2 cells, in the chronic phase Th1 cells start to take over. Genetic factors play an important role in the onset of atopic dermatitis, and polymorphism in the genes controlling either skin barrier function or adaptive and innate immune responses has been shown to associate with AD in several studies. However, the rapid increase of this disease indicates that environmental factors also play a crucial role. Evidence suggests that reduced microbial exposure due to urbanization, improved hygiene, and efficient health-care measures may account for increased rates of allergic diseases such as AD. The diagnosis of atopic hand dermatitis assumes the fact that the patient has atopic dermatitis, where the major criteria for diagnosis are pruritus and, additionally, typical clinical features. Treatment of atopic hand dermatitis contains avoidance of irritants and possible allergens and use of emollients, topical corticosteroids, and topical calcineurin inhibitors.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Immunotoxicology, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 b, Helsinki, 00250, Finland

    Sari Lehtimäki Ph.D.

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of Helsinki, Meilahdentie, Helsinki, 00250, Finland

    Antti Lauerma M.D., Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Sari Lehtimäki Ph.D.
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  2. Antti Lauerma M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Antti Lauerma M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Ali Alikhan

  2. Department of Dermatology, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Marie Lachapelle

  3. Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Lehtimäki, S., Lauerma, A. (2014). Atopic Hand Eczema. In: Alikhan, A., Lachapelle, JM., Maibach, H. (eds) Textbook of Hand Eczema. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39546-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39546-8_12

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-39546-8

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