Zhang Chunhong
Member of Jilin Provincial Health Science Popularization Expert Database
Director of the Department of Dermatology, Pingyang Department, Changchun Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Zhang Chunhong: Member of Jilin Provincial Health Science Popularization Expert Database, Director of the Department of Dermatology of Pingyang Department of Changchun Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He was a guest on the "Health Lecture Hall" column of Jilin News Comprehensive Broadcasting, and gave a special lecture on "Protecting Skin Health: A Comprehensive Understanding of Eczema".
As the saying goes, the pain is unbearable. There is such a group of people, from newborn babies to elderly people over half a hundred years old, who suffer from repeated skin itching and often have trouble sleeping...... Perhaps, it is all caused by this reason - eczema. Let's take a look at a few questions about eczema in the elderly.
1. What is eczema?
Eczema is an allergic inflammatory reaction caused by a variety of factors, and is named because the skin lesions are oozing, erosive, and crusty. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is called "eczema". It is a skin disease with the highest incidence among skin diseases, especially in summer.
2. What are the characteristics of eczema?
Characteristics of eczema: symmetrical skin lesions, severe itching, recurrent recurrence, and a tendency to evolve into chronicity. It can occur in both men and women, young and old, but it is mostly intolerant of congenital endowments, and there is no obvious seasonality. According to the course of the disease, it can be divided into three categories: acute, subacute and chronic.
Acute eczema: rapid onset, lesions are often symmetrical, primary, and pleomorphic. Erythema, flushing, papules, papules, vesicles, pustules, oozing, crusting are common.
Subacute eczema: often caused by acute eczema that is not treated in time, or is not properly treated, and the course of the disease is prolonged. It may also present with subacute eczema at the first onset. The skin lesions are milder than those of acute eczema, with papules, crusts, and scales, with only a few blisters and mild erosions. Intense itching is felt.
Chronic eczema: skin lesions are mostly confined to a certain area, such as the lower legs, hands and feet, elbow fossa, knee fossa, vulva, anus, etc. It is characterized by thick and rough skin, hard to the touch, dark red or purple-brown in color, and prominent or lichen-like skin lines. Lesions are often scaly with scratches, crusts, and pigmentation. Those that occur in the hands, feet and joints are often prone to chapping, feeling pain, and affecting movement.
3. What causes eczema?
The etiology of eczema is complex and is the result of the interaction between internal and external factors. Internal causes include abnormal immune function (such as immune imbalance, immune deficiency, etc.), systemic diseases (such as endocrine diseases, nutritional disorders, chronic infections, tumors, etc.), and hereditary or acquired skin barrier dysfunction. Topical use such as environmental or food allergens, irritants, microorganisms, changes in ambient temperature or humidity, and sun exposure can trigger or aggravate eczema. Psychosocial factors (e.g., nervousness and anxiety) can also precipitate or exacerbate the disorder.
4. What tests are needed to diagnose eczema?
(1) Blood routine: eosinophils may be increased.
(2) Allergen detection: help to find possible allergens.
(3) Fungal examination: on the one hand, it can be distinguished from primary superficial mycosis, on the other hand, eczema patients can have secondary fungal infection, and the fungi in the fungal infection foci become allergens and induce eczema in the body.
(4) Bacterial culture of skin lesions: to help diagnose secondary bacterial infection.
(5) Histopathology: The pathological manifestations of eczema at different stages are different, which is helpful for the diagnosis of the disease.
5. What are the treatments for eczema?
At present, we are able to take treatment measures including basic treatment, Western medicine treatment, and traditional Chinese medicine treatment.
Basic Treatment:
(1) Patient education: It is necessary to guide patients to find and avoid common allergens and irritants in the environment, avoid scratching and excessive washing, and make corresponding suggestions on the environment, diet, use of protective equipment, skin cleaning methods, etc.
(2) Avoid precipitating or aggravating factors: through detailed medical history, detailed physical examination, and rational use of auxiliary examinations (such as blood routine, allergen detection, etc.), carefully find out various suspicious causes and precipitating or aggravating factors, so as to achieve the purpose of removing the cause and treating it.
Western Medicine Treatment:
(1) Systemic treatment: (1) Antihistamines, such as chlorpheniramine, cyproheptadine, cetirizine, loratadine, etc. (2) Non-specific desensitization therapy: 10% calcium gluconate, sodium thiosulfate, etc. (3) Hormones: such as dexamethasone, prednisone, etc. (4) If secondary bacterial infection occurs, antibiotics can be used, such as erythromycin, clindamycin, cefazolin sodium, etc. (5) Compound glycyrrhizin can be given, orally or intravenously.
(2) Local treatment: 3% boric acid solution wet compress, dexamethasone ointment, antacid mometasone ointment, hydrocortisone cream, zinc oxide ointment, tacrolimus ointment, etc.
TCM Treatment:
(1) Systemic treatment: (1) Damp heat accumulation syndrome: Gentian Liver Soup. (2) Spleen deficiency and dampness accumulation: Shenling Baizhu San. (3) Blood deficiency and dry wind syndrome: Angelica sinensis.
(2) Local treatment: Phellodendron solution, Coptis chinensis ointment, comfrey oil, Qingdai powder, etc., some eczema can also be combined with fire acupuncture, bloodletting therapy, cupping therapy, traditional Chinese medicine envelope, traditional Chinese medicine stains, traditional Chinese medicine patches and other therapies.
6. How to prevent and care for eczema?
(1) Acute eczema should not be scalded with hot water, and the affected area should not be washed with irritants such as soap.
(2) Patients with eczema should avoid scratching to prevent infection.
(3) Patients with eczema should avoid eating spicy, fish and shrimp, chicken, goose, beef, mutton and other hair products, as well as coriander, leeks, celery, onions, ginger, garlic and other spicy things.
(4) During the acute attack of acute eczema or chronic eczema, vaccination with various vaccines should be postponed.
Broadcast frequency: Jilin News Comprehensive Radio FM91.6 \AM738
Column: "Health Lecture Hall"
Broadcast time: Saturday and Sunday 17:00-17:30
Program hotline: 0431-85815111, 85815999, 85815199
Article source: original · Jilin News Comprehensive Broadcasting
Image source: Reprinted · Pingyang Department of Changchun Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Editor: Yue Jia
First Trial: Zixin
Re-examiner: Hao Zili
Final review: Zhao Min
Poke the small flower in the lower right corner to share it with more people