The Significance of Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most prevalent and one of the most studied skin diseases. Despite extensive investigations, it is however still poorly understood. Its denomination is questionable, its definition is imprecise and controversial, and its pathophysiology remains obscure. The onset and the course of atopic dermatitis imply many factors which belong to the skin itself, to internal systems and to the environment. It can be concluded that atopic dermatitis does not represent a disease in the usual sense, but the common cutaneous denominator of skin abnormalities, internal dysfunctions and external influences. The term “Skin-Disease”, modelled on the psychoanalytic concept of “Skin-Ego”, could be proposed to express this novel conception of atopic dermatitis