NIH Radio
Dermatitis
Brief Description:
An NIH expert explains the causes and symptoms of dermatitis.
Transcript:
Egwuagu: Do you have a red, itchy, and bumpy area on your skin? If so, you might call it a rash.
Katz: People call almost anything on the skin a rash, but we in dermatology and in medicine don't consider everything to be a rash.
Egwuagu: Dr. Steven Katz, the director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases says that a rash is defined as an area of irritated or swollen skin. Many things cause rashes such as diseases, irritating substances, allergies and even genetic makeup. Rashes are also symptoms of many different medical conditions. Dr. Katz explains how rashes are usually widespread but do not always have to be, such as a poison ivy rash.
Katz: If you come into contact with poison ivy just on your finger, and most people are allergic to poison ivy, you'll have a rash which will be pretty self-limited to your finger.
Egwuagu: Rashes that involve skin disease are a bit more complicated.
Katz: When you talk about rashes in skin disease terms, you're talking about an inflamed skin of one type or another. So really you're talking about a dermatitis of some type, and there's a broad spectrum of problems and diseases that can cause rashes.
Egwuagu: There are many different types of rashes. Dr. Katz states that some rashes are caused by autoimmunity.
Katz: That is the body reacting against itself. There’s a whole large group of what we call blistering skin diseases which are autoimmune where the treatment is very strong because patients can otherwise die from it. So some of these rashes not only occur on the skin but also in the mouth and in the upper part of the esophagus.
Egwuagu: Dermatologists can diagnose the cause of a rash by performing a biopsy. A biopsy is when a small piece of tissue is removed and then checked under a microscope. Dr. Katz says that self-diagnosing a rash is complicated.
Katz: Sometimes you can self-diagnose. No problem at all. But oftentimes, it's very difficult to make that diagnosis.
Egwuagu: Diagnosing can be easier if you remember coming in contact with a substance that is a well-known cause of rashes.
Katz: Probably the most common form of dermatitis that is seen anywhere is an allergic contact dermatitis to nickel. Why? Because of ear piercing. So for example, depending on the amount of nickel in the metal, it may be more or less allergenic, in other words, have the susceptibly to cause allergies.
Egwuagu: So, if you have that red, itchy, and bumpy area on your skin, when is it the right time for you to see a dermatologist?
Katz: That really depends on the patient and the patient's family and how much it's bothering the person. Often you're not well served by just going to the drugstore and getting some cream because often, the creams that you buy can produce problems that make your original problem even worse and confound the problem. But if you have a significant rash, you should see a dermatologist.
Egwuagu: For more information about rashes and skin disease, visit www.niams.nih.gov. For NIH Radio, this is Emeka Egwuagu — NIH . . . Turning Discovery Into Health.
About This Audio Report
Date: 6/28/2012
Reporter: Emeka Egwuagu
Sound Bite: Dr. Steven Katz
Topic: dermatitis, rashes, skin disease, poison ivy, skin, dermatologist
Institute(s):
NIAMS
Additional Info:
Red, Itchy Rash?
NIH Podcast Episode #0155
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