Eczema

{ekf -ze-mah) [ek^eeiv, to boil over]. Tetter; an acute or chronic, noncontagious, inflammatory disease of the skin, characterized by multiformity of lesion, and the presence, in varying degrees, of itching, infiltration, and discharge. The skin is reddened, the redne shading off insensibly into the surrounding unaffected parts. E. erythema to sum, the mildest form of eczema, in which the skin is reddened and slightly swollen. E. fi um, a form affecting the hands and skin over the articulations, and characterized by the formation of deep, painful cracks or fi ures. E. hyper trophi cum, a form characterized by permanent hypertrophy of the papillae of the skin, giving rise to general or limited warty outgrowths. E. madidans, E. rubrum; a form characterized by large, raw, weeping surfaces studded with red points. It follows E. vesiculosum. E. papulosum, a variety a ociated with the formation of minute papules of a deep-red color and firm consistence, and accompanied by intense itching. E. pustulosum, the stage of eczema characterized by the formation of pustules. E. rubrum. See E. viadidans. E. seborrhceicum. Synonym of seborrhea. E. solare, that form due to irritation from the rays of the sun. E. squamosum, a variety characterized by the formation of adherent scales of shed epithelium. E. vesiculosum, an eczema characterized by the presence of vesicles. 252