Itchy skin

Pruritus refers to an unpleasant sensation that causes the need to scratch, commonly called itching by most people. Itching may be localized to a certain area of the body, or can be all over, or generalized. When there is a rash that goes along with the pruritus, the cause is usually easily determined and treated. However, the most difficult cases of pruritus are those without an associated rash.

What Causes Pruritus?

Pruritus and pain are closely related sensations, since the same nerves transmit both signals to the brain. When the area of skin is scratched, that same area may become even itchier, leading to more scratching. This is called the itch-scratch cycle. In general, pruritus can be related to a problem with the skin or another underlying disease of the body (systemic disease). When itching is localized to a particular area of skin, it usually is not caused by a systemic disease.

Localized Pruritus
Areas of itching that are only on one part of the body are more likely caused by a problem of the skin. The area of the body that itches may give a clue as to the cause of the itch.

Child eczema

Children who live within 50 yards of a busy road are more likely to develop asthma, eczema and hay fever, a major new study has shown.
Researchers have found a strong link between exposure to traffic fumes in the first few years of life and a host of childhood allergies.

They say youngsters living alongside the busiest roads are 50 per cent more likely to be susceptible to allergies than those living in quieter streets.

The study suggests that Britain's allergy epidemic could be partly caused by the steep rise in cars and lorries on British roads in the last few decades.

The number of people with allergies has trebled in the last 20 years. One in three people now suffer at some point in their lives.

After taking into account the parent's own history of allergies, the number of pets in the home and the number of brothers and sisters - all factors which can cause allergies - they found a strong link between the distance to the nearest major road and hay fever, eczema and bronchitis brought on by asthma.
Children living closest to heavy traffic were 50 per cent more likely to be susceptible to allergies than those living a long way away, they report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Dr Joachim Heinrich, who led the study at the Institute of Epidemiology, Munich, said:

"We consistently found strong associations between the distance tot he nearest main road and the allergic disease outcomes," Dr Heinrich wrote in the

"Children living closer than 50 meters to a busy street had the highest probability of getting allergic symptoms, compared to children living further away."

Skin Rashes

I have a problem that has been plagueing me for nearly five weeks now... I seem to be getting this kind of rash that I'm not sure about. From the pictures below, you can see parts of my face and how this rash looks like.
It's going in a frustrating cycle. I have noticed that it will start itching, then gets worse, and then calms down. When it does calm down, my face becomes clear, but dry. Flaking occurs, and when I use my cleanser (Neutrogena Extra Gentle cleanser), it seems to get drier. With that, I am starting to believe that my rash is caused by the dryness. Before that, I get hives, and I normally associate them as harmless. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as some of the hives started growing up into liquid filled capsules.



My doctor (I went into a children's doctor, and that might've affected what type of treatment I am getting) says that I might have contact dermatitis. With my knowledge, it is also called eczema. I am currently using the Neutrogena cleanser and this hydrocortisone lotion called "Praxoline," don't remember if it is the correct spelling. I have an over the counter cream with aloe vera that I avoided using after my rash started lichenifying, but that was four weeks ago.

Enterovirus Rash Pictures

Enteroviruses are a large family of viruses responsible for many infections in children. These viruses live in the intestinal tract, but can cause a wide variety of illnesses. There are more than 70 different strains, which include the group A and group B coxsackieviruses, the echoviruses, the polioviruses, Hepatitis A virus, and several strains that just go by the name enterovirus. Even though there are many strains, most illness is caused by about a dozen of them. Most children develop immunity to them and don’t get a strain more than once.

Who gets it?
Non-polio enterovirus infections are very common, especially in young children and in households with young children. Summer camps and day care centers are also common places for these infections.

Severe infections are more common among the immunocompromised.
What are the symptoms?
The most common illness associated with enteroviruses is “non-specific febrile illness.” Children with this type of illness have a fever and feel under the weather for around 3 days. Sometimes they have a fever for a couple of days, feel better, and then have another fever for a couple of days. Sometimes the fever is quite high. There may be loose stools, tummy aches, sore throats, headaches, muscle aches, vomiting – or nothing but a fever.

Skin Rashes in Children

 childhood diseases have bacterial or viral causes and include a rash of some type. As additional vaccines become available, these diseases become less of a threat to your child's long-term health. A rash of any kind should be taken seriously, however, and may require a trip to the doctor's office for evaluation. Examples of bacterial and viral rashes include several common childhood illnesses.

A virus called -zoster causes this very contagious disease. disease is not harmful to most children. symptoms generally last two weeks and can make the child very uncomfortable. chickenpox can be a serious illness in people with weak immune systems such as newborns, people on chemotherapy for cancer, people taking steroids, pregnant women, or those with HIV/AIDS. safe and effective vaccine is now available to children aged 1 year or older to prevent chickenpox. symptoms generally appear 10-21 days after exposure.

Child Rash

A rash is a reaction of the skin. It can be caused by many things, such as a drug reaction, an infection, or an allergic reaction. Many different agents can cause similar rashes because the skin has a limited number of possible responses. Very often the associated symptoms in addition to the rash help make the diagnosis, such as a history of tick bites, exposure to other ill children or adults, recent antibiotic use, environmental exposures, or prior immunizations.

Most rashes caused by viruses do not harm your child and go away over time without any treatment. However, some childhood rashes have serious or even life-threatening causes. As a parent, you should be familiar with these rashes. Many rashes can look the same, making it difficult to know the exact diagnosis. Whenever you have a concern, see your doctor immediately.