Erythroderma - Common Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Erythroderma is an inflammatory skin disease with erythema and scaling that affects nearly the entire cutaneous surface.
The most common causes of exfoliative dermatitis are best remembered by the mnemonic device ID-SCALP. The causes and their frequencies are as follows:
Symptoms of Erythroderma
Treatment
The treatment is dependent on the cause. Topical steroids are the primary category of medications used to treat exfoliative dermatitis (ED). A sedative antihistamine may be a useful adjunct for pruritic patients, since it helps patients to sleep at night, thus limiting nocturnal scratching and excoriations. Antimicrobial agents often are used if an infection is suspected to be precipitating or complicating exfoliative dermatitis. Other drugs specifically indicated for management of underlying etiology of exfoliative dermatitis may be necessary.
The most common causes of exfoliative dermatitis are best remembered by the mnemonic device ID-SCALP. The causes and their frequencies are as follows:
- Idiopathic - 30%
- Drug allergy - 28%
- Lymphoma and leukemia - 14%
- Atopic dermatitis - 10%
- Psoriasis - 8%
- Contact dermatitis - 3%
- Seborrheic dermatitis - 2%
Symptoms of Erythroderma
- Red skin patches
- Skin thickening
- Skin peeling
- Skin flaking
Treatment
The treatment is dependent on the cause. Topical steroids are the primary category of medications used to treat exfoliative dermatitis (ED). A sedative antihistamine may be a useful adjunct for pruritic patients, since it helps patients to sleep at night, thus limiting nocturnal scratching and excoriations. Antimicrobial agents often are used if an infection is suspected to be precipitating or complicating exfoliative dermatitis. Other drugs specifically indicated for management of underlying etiology of exfoliative dermatitis may be necessary.
