If you are someone suffering from blisters which are filled with blood and pus, you should be scared of the fatal variant of eczema. Known as eczema herpeticum, it affects people of all ages. However, it is found mostly in children. A person starts suffering from this disease when herpes simplex virus happens to get into a skin lesion caused by eczema known in medical science as Dermatitis.
Symptoms
In appearance and symptoms, eczema would resemble impetigo. And, the general symptoms are fever, excruciating pain in the affected areas and overall tiredness. Within the time of ten days of the herpes virus entering into your body, new lesions appear. At this stage, the patches start getting infected with the organisms known as streptococcal.
Prevention
Eczema is known to be one among the most difficult skin diseases to treat because there exists no permanent cure for this trouble. The only option is to treat the symptoms. When it comes to eczema herpeticum, the feasible solution available is to take good care of eczema. Watch for signs of blisters which won’t cure with general creams prescribed for the disease. Even though fatal, this is considered to be a preventable danger. Keep the following points in mind if you consider yourself to be an easy victim of eczema herpeticum.
1. Diagnose at the earliest:
Know that the earliest detection is the key to success in treating eczema herpeticum. If you notice any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should consult your general practitioner. Even if you are not suffering from this disease, you would be helped to prevent danger. If you are quite sure that the virus has gotten into your body, the doctor would have to start the treatment right away. A failure to do so may even lead to death. This happens because once infected, the virus travels fast in your body and starts infecting vital organs like lungs and liver.
2. Apply the right cream:
From the time you start noticing dry patches or crusts on your body, start applying the creams designed to ease the symptoms. It is observed that eczema herpeticum is the result of inappropriate creams to treat dermatitis.
3. Avoid contact with infected persons:
If you find out that any of your friends or loved one is suffering from eczema, stay away from that person. This advice may appear a bit harsh with no reliable evidence to suggest the disease is contagious. However, experts say that there are chances of getting the disease from its sufferers.
4. Keep your nails short:
If you are someone suffering from eczema, you must cut your nails short. This applies even to children. It becomes a must because the itching is the most important among the symptoms of eczema. You may even lose your sleep due to consistent itching. Long nails would widen the wounds making it easy for the virus to enter into the infected area.
5. Do not ever rub the infected area:
As someone suffering from eczema, it is quite natural that you may feel like rubbing the area with your towel after having a bath. Know that this is just a momentary relief. After some time, you start experiencing a sense of burning. Even the pain would increase along with the redness and pus. Just pat it dry.
6. Be liberal with the eczema cream of your choice:
For a person suffering from eczema, a moisturizer is a must-have. Apply generous amounts of the cream. Doing this would make the infected area moist for long. The doctor may even ask you to opt for creams with medicinal content to give you relief from itching and related irritations.
7. Have concern for yourself:
If you consider yourself to be a victim of eczema, you should have a bit of concern for yourself. Stay away from everything harsh; from chemicals to heavy-scented perfumes and soaps.
8. Comply with the instructions given:
Know that eczema herpeticum is a disease which can be fatal. For this reason, you should be willing to follow the instructions from your doctor without even altering a word from it.
Dangers of the disease
With similar symptoms to that of eczema with the only difference of fever and excruciating pain, eczema herpeticum is one among the misdiagnosed diseases affecting the skin. The best option is to seek medical assistance the moment you happen to notice any unusual symptoms like fever or excessive pain, do not hesitate to consult your doctor. Know that this is a disease which can even lead to death. It implies that once infected with eczema, the only viable option would be prevention. Treatment, if not done urgently may prove fatal for you.
Treatment
There exists no particular treatment for eczema herpeticum. The doctor can only treat the symptoms and prevent the growth of the virus and other organisms infecting your body. The important sign you should be aware of is a fever. This is an indication that the virus has gotten into other parts of the body. The possibility of being infected with staphylococcus bacteria is also present. If this happens, you have to confine yourself to the hospital until the disease is cured.
Eczema would be treated with topical creams. But, if the state of the patient is serious enough, antibiotic medications are prescribed. And, the most common among them are via acyclovir and valaciclovir. Even though conventional medications may offer relief from the symptoms, serious complications may need constant medical supervision. In the advanced stage, you may even be asked to consult an ophthalmologist. This helps the doctor to know if the virus has affected your eyes.
Even after the treatment, you should be watchful for your skin. It would be sensitive and allergens may cause trouble for you.
Take good care of your skin and be alert to the possible risk factors of eczema. That is the only available option if you wish to stay protected from eczema herpeticum.
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