Term: Atopic Dermatitis / Atopic Eczema

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Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2021-07-26

Definition:

Atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema, is a type of inflammation of the skin that results in itchy, red, swollen, and cracked skin. It typically starts in childhood with changing severity over the years. In infants, much of the body may be affected. Scratching worsens symptoms and affected people have an increased risk of skin infections or of developing hay fever or asthma.

Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Term: Atopic Dermatitis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. May, 2013. http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/atopic_dermatitis/ - accessed June 3, 2016.

The diagnosis is defined as:

• 1 or more hospitalizations, where one of the 16 or 25 recorded diagnoses was one of:
  
  • ICD-9-CM codes:
    
    • 691 - Atopic dermatitis and related conditions,
      
    • 692 - Contact dermatitis and other eczema, or
      
    • 693: dermatitis due to substances taken internally (eg. food, drugs, other specified, unspecified); OR
    
    
  • ICD-10-CA codes:
    
    • L20 - Atopic dermatitis,
      
    • L23 - Allergic contact dermatitis,
    • L25 - Unspecified contact dermatitis, or
      
    • L27 - Dermatitis due to substances taken internally; OR
  
  
• 1 or more physician visit where the diagnosis was either 691, 692 or 693.

Research Findings

For more information from the research in Our Children, Our Future: The Health and Well-being of First Nations Children in Manitoba by Chartier et al. (2020), see the section titled Atopic Dermatitis (Atopic Eczema) in the deliverable.

Term used in 

• Chartier M, Brownell M, Star L, Murdock N, Campbell R, Phillips-Beck W, Meade C, Au W, Schultz J, Bowes JM, Cochrane B. Our Children, Our Future: The Health and Well-being of First Nations Children in Manitoba. Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2020. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Chartier M, Brownell M, MacWilliam L, Valdivia J, Nie Y, Ekuma O, Burchill C, Hu M, Rajotte L, Kulbaba C. The Mental Health of Manitoba's Children. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2016. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)