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Irritant contact dermatitis - Anogenital in
See also in: Overview,External and Internal Eye
Other Resources UpToDate PubMed

Irritant contact dermatitis - Anogenital in

See also in: Overview,External and Internal Eye
Contributors: Jeffrey M. Cohen MD, Susan Burgin MD
Other Resources UpToDate PubMed

Synopsis

Irritant contact dermatitis is a reaction caused by direct physical or chemical injury to the epidermis. The damage caused by an irritant leads to inflammation, manifested in the skin as erythema, edema, and scaling. Irritant contact dermatitis should be differentiated from true allergic contact dermatitis, which is a delayed type-IV hypersensitivity (immune) reaction.

Contact dermatitis of the vulva is more often of the irritant type, rather than allergic, due to the persistent moisture and maceration in the genital region.

Soaps, detergents, antiseptic solutions, and topical medications are often the source of irritation. Prolonged or recurrent exposure to an irritant often causes the skin to become lichenified, hyperkeratotic, and inflamed.

Early in the course of irritant contact dermatitis, patients typically present complaining of a burning or stinging; the symptoms and skin eruption usually follow the exposure by hours if the irritant is strong (whereas in allergic contact dermatitis, symptoms are usually delayed by approximately 2 days following exposure). As the irritation becomes chronic and the skin continually inflamed, pruritus can become a predominant symptom.

Codes

ICD10CM:
L24.9 – Irritant contact dermatitis, unspecified cause

SNOMEDCT:
110979008 – Primary irritant dermatitis

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Last Reviewed:08/13/2017
Last Updated:08/13/2017
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Irritant contact dermatitis - Anogenital in
See also in: Overview,External and Internal Eye
A medical illustration showing key findings of Irritant contact dermatitis : Burning skin sensation, Erythema, Intertriginous distribution, Pruritus, Scaly plaques
Clinical image of Irritant contact dermatitis - imageId=3921662. Click to open in gallery.  caption: 'Dry skin and scaling of the fingertips.'
Dry skin and scaling of the fingertips.
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