What Is Dercum Disease?

Dermatosis is a general term for diseases that occur in the skin and skin accessory organs. The skin is the largest organ of the human body. Not only are there many types of skin diseases, but various visceral diseases can also be manifested on the skin. There are many causes of skin diseases. For example, skin diseases caused by infectious factors, such as leprosy, scabies, fungal diseases, and skin bacterial infections, are often infectious, which not only affects physical health but also causes panic and social discrimination. With the improvement of living standards and the advancement of science and technology, infectious diseases such as leprosy have been significantly controlled worldwide. Other internal and external factors that cause skin diseases, such as mechanical, physical, chemical, biological, endocrine, and immune, are receiving more and more attention.

Basic Information

English name

dermatosis

Visiting department

dermatology

Common locations

skin

Common causes

Infections and allergies, microorganisms, etc.

Common symptoms

Various rashes, chickenpox, measles, rubella, warts, etc. Conscious itching, which may be accompanied by abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and chest tightness, palpitations, dyspnea, etc.

Causes of skin diseases

As the first line of defense and the largest organ of the human body, the skin is always involved in the functional activities of the body, maintaining the unity of the body and the natural environment, and abnormal conditions of the body can also be reflected on the surface of the skin. The skin has almost perfect physiological protection functions: such as barrier effect, sensory effect, regulating body temperature, absorption effect, secretion and excretion effect, etc., and it plays a very important role in maintaining the health of the body. The physiological functions of the skin are impaired, causing skin diseases.

The most common causative factors in skin diseases are infectious diseases and allergic dermatitis, but with the degenerative changes of aging, senile skin diseases, skin cancer, etc. are also important skin diseases. Various skin disorders that cause side effects. It can be summarized into the following categories:

Physical and chemical factors

Factors such as pressure and friction, rapid local temperature changes, radiation, light, heat radiation, and chemical agents can cause skin diseases. Some factors can aggravate skin diseases. Such as excessive scratching secondary infections; hot water, soapy water washing, improper use of medicines aggravate eczema lesions; exposure to the sun can aggravate photosensitive diseases.

2. Biological factors

Insect bites, contact with certain plants, parasites, and microbial infections are common pathogenic factors, such as various viral skin diseases caused by viral infections.

3. Food and other diseases

Some foods such as shrimp are prone to allergic diseases. Visceral lesions, local infections, and blood and lymphatic circulation disorders can cause related skin diseases. For example, diabetic patients are prone to pruritus, local infections cause infectious eczema-like dermatitis, and circulation disorders can cause cyanosis and rubber swelling.

4. Genetics

Some diseases have obvious family history, such as ichthyosis and albinism.

5. Neuropsychiatric factors

Nerve damage can cause nutritional ulcers; stress is closely related to the onset of alopecia areata and chronic simple moss.

6. Metabolic and endocrine factors

Metabolic disorders can cause skin amyloidosis, yellow tumors, etc. Cushing's syndrome is prone to acne, hairy, etc.

Dermatological classification

Viral skin disease

Common are herpes simplex, shingles, warts (common warts, plantar warts, flat warts, condyloma acuminatum, genital warts), chicken pox, rubella, and hand, foot and mouth disease.

2. Bacterial skin disease

The common ones are pustulosis, folliculitis, boils, palate, cellulitis, erysipelas and leprosy.

3. Fungal skin diseases

Common tinea capitis, tinea corporis, tinea pedis, onychomycosis, pityriasis versicolor, and malassezia folliculitis.

4. Skin diseases caused by animals

Such as scabies, mite dermatitis, crypt dermatitis, lice, insect stabbing or bite.

5. Sexually transmitted diseases

Such as syphilis, gonorrhea and genital warts.

6. Allergic and autoimmune skin diseases

Common are contact dermatitis, eczema, urticaria; allergic skin vasculitis, drug-derived dermatitis, and anaphylactic shock.

7. Physical Dermatology

Common skin diseases are solar dermatitis, summer dermatitis, boils, frostbite, corns, cleft lip of hand, foot, and pressure ulcers.

8. Neurological Dysfunction Skin Disease

Common pruritus, neurodermatitis, and parasitic paranoia.

9. Erythema papular scaly skin disease

Common are psoriasis, pityriasis simplex, pityriasis rosea, lichen planus, and erythroderma.

10. Connective tissue disease

Common are lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, sjogren's syndrome, and dermatomyositis.

11. Bullous skin disease

Common are pemphigoid and bullous pemphigoid.

12. Pigmented skin disorders

Common are chloasma, vitiligo, tattoo, freckles, pigmented nevus, coffee spots, melasma, freckles-like nevus, Riehl melanosis, perioral sunspot, ota mole, pigmented hairy epidermal nevus, pancreas Melanosis, facial-neck hair follicle erythematous nevus, pigmented rose pityriasis, spotted nevus, congenital pigmented nevus, abnormal retinal pigmentation in the folds, Mongolian spot, tattoo, vitiligo, pigmented nevus, eccentric Acquired leukoplakia, hereditary symmetric pigment abnormalities, anemia moles, etc.

13. Skin appendage disease

Common acne, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, alopecia areata, baldness, hyperhidrosis, and odor sweat.

14. Hereditary skin disease

Common ichthyosis, keratosis pilaris, fur moss, hereditary bullous epidermolysis, familial benign chronic pemphigoid.

15. Nutrition and metabolic disorders

Common vitamin deficiencies (toadskin, riboflavin deficiency, niacin deficiency), enteric acral dermatitis, xanthomatosis.

16. Skin tumors

Precancerous skin diseases, such as solar keratosis, mucosal leukoplakia; malignant skin tumors, such as Bowen's disease (cutaneous carcinoma in situ), eczema-like cancer (Paget's disease), basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, mycosis fungoides Swelling, malignant melanoma.

Dermatological diagnosis

The diagnosis of skin diseases, like other diseases, must be comprehensively analyzed based on medical history, physical examination and laboratory tests:

1. Ask a medical history

Dermatology should focus on asking patients if they have any symptoms, duration, degree, the location of the skin lesions, the sequence of occurrence, distribution, shape, color, and any other diseases or medications before onset. The presence or absence of systemic symptoms is related to the season, climate, living and working environment, diet, etc. Is there a similar skin disease in the family?

2. Physical examination

(1) Check the distribution of skin lesions, the type, number, size, shape, surface and base of the lesions, the color, the contents of the blisters and their color, arrangement features, and whether the boundaries are clear.

(2) Auxiliary physical inspection

1) Slide pressure diagnosis method Press the slide glass firmly on the damage for 10-20 seconds, the color of inflammatory erythema and hemangioma can disappear. It can be used to identify erythema and purple spots, and to observe lupus nodules.

2) Skin scratches. Scratching the skin with a blunt tool, such as the formation of wind masses, is called positive skin scratches. Urticaria patients are often positive, atopic dermatitis, and erythrodermic skin appear pale anemia when mechanically stimulated.

3) Sensory tests include temperature, touch and pain.

4) Filtered UV inspection If the yellow hair of the yellow ringworm is dark green, the white ringworm is bright green. Other diseases, such as tinea versicolor and porphyria, can emit different colors of fluorescence.

5) Acanthopanax cell loosening sign (Nissl sign) The blisters spread to the surrounding area, the normal skin is pushed and the normal-looking skin between the blisters is rubbed off to be positive.

3. Laboratory inspection

(1) Pathological examination of skin tissue Some skin diseases have their own unique pathological changes, which can be confirmed and differentiated according to this.

(2) Skin test Patch test It is used to check contact allergens. Scratch test or intradermal test It is used to check the immediate allergic reaction and determine whether a certain substance has an allergic reaction (type I). Leprosytin test It is used to judge the immune status of leprosy patients. The ringworm test is helpful for the diagnosis of ringworm rash.

(3) Microbiological examination The examination of skin fungi and leprosy rash and worm can help diagnose the corresponding skin diseases.

Dermatological treatment

Dermatological treatment is most commonly used externally. If the topical medication is not selected or used properly, it is often ineffective and even worsens the condition.

The choice of external medicine for skin diseases should pay attention to the following aspects: the same medicine has different dosage forms, such as solutions, pastes, powders, creams, lotions, ointments, tinctures and emulsions. Different dosage forms have different effects and indications. Therefore, different dosage forms for external use should be correctly selected according to the clinical symptoms and skin lesions of different stages.

1. Generally in the acute stage, when local swelling, blisters, or erosion, use a solution of wet compresses, which can play an anti-inflammatory and heat dissipation role; those who have liquid leakage, apply wet compresses first, and then use oil.

2. When the skin lesion is in the sub-acute stage, the swelling is reduced and the exudation is reduced. Pastes, powders and lotions can be used as appropriate, which can play an anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, astringent and protective role.

3. In the chronic stage, when the skin lesions become thick and mossy, you can choose creams, ointments, plasters, etc.

4. Pay attention to the time and frequency of skin diseases. Potions and lotions are easy to volatilize and reduce the efficacy. The frequency of medication is relatively large, usually once every 3 hours; tinctures and ointments have a long-lasting effect, which can be used once a day in the morning and evening. Wet application is also appropriate. Before using the medicine, in addition to cleaning the affected area, the crusts should be disinfected and wiped with food oil after softening. If blisters larger than half a centimeter in diameter are seen at the skin lesion, the contents of the blister should be withdrawn by sterilizing an empty syringe to retain the blister wall. Before applying the medicine to hairy areas, shave the hair before applying the medicine.

5. The choice of drugs should also consider age, gender, affected area and patient's physique. Such as old and young patients should choose low-concentration drugs; pregnant women should take into account the impact on the fetus, breast; external use of high concentration or irritating drugs, children, women should be used with caution ; Palms, feet and other high-concentration drugs can be used; those with sensitive skin, first use low concentrations, then high concentrations. For new or susceptible drugs, first use it in a small area, if there is no response, then gradually increase the concentration and expand the area of use as needed.

Physical therapy is also a common treatment for skin diseases. Commonly used physical therapies are: electrotherapy, light therapy, microwave therapy, cryotherapy, laser, hydrotherapy, radiation therapy.