<p><strong>Eczema</strong> is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the upper layers of the skin.</p>

<p>The term &quot;eczema&quot; is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes characterized by redness, skin edema, itching and dryness, with possible crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. Areas of temporary skin discoloration are sometimes due to healed lesions, although scarring is rare.</p>

<h2><span class="mw-headline">Types</span></h2>

<p>ICD-10 codes are provided where available. The term eczema refers to a set of clinical characteristics. Classification of the underlying diseases has been haphazard and unsystematic, with many synonyms used to describe the same condition. A type of eczema may be described by location (e.g. hand eczema), by specific appearance (eczema craquele or discoid), or by possible cause (varicose eczema). Further adding to the confusion, many sources use the term eczema and the term for the most common type of eczema (atopic eczema) interchangeably.</p>

</ol>

</div>

<h2><span class="mw-headline">External links</span></h2>

<ul>

<li><a class="external text" title="http://www.nationaleczema.org/home.html" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nationaleczema.org/home.html">National Eczema Association</a> </li>

</ul>