Contact Derm, Intertrigo, Poison Ivy

Question 1

What are the two types of contact dermatitis?

Answer 1

irritant: chemicals, body fluids, etc, amount of exposure is
important (more is worse), symptoms appear quick
allergic: dermatitis due to allergen, amount of exposure is not
important, delay of symptoms

Question 2

Give examples of irritants and allergic contact dermatitis.

Answer 2

irritants: dishpan dermatitis
allergic: nickel allergy, poison ivy

Question 3

True or false: contact irritant dermatitis is easier to figure out

Answer 3

true

Question 4

What are some common causes of contact irritant dermatitis?

Answer 4

soaps
cleansers
water
detergents
oils and paints
hair dyes

Question 5

What are common symptoms of contact irritant dermatitis?

Answer 5

burning
itchy skin
stinging
blisters

Question 6

What are symptoms of contact allergic dermatitis?

Answer 6

redness
itching
with or without hives

Question 7

What are common causes of contact allergic dermatitis?

Answer 7

perfumes/fragrances
nickel
hair dye
latex
poison ivy
clothes
topical creams and ointments

Question 8

What are the stages of contact dermatitis?

Answer 8

acute: blistering, itch, redness
sub-acute: after ~week, starting to heal
chronic: lichenification, weeks-months, constant contact with
cause

Question 9

How do we treat each stage of contact dermatitis?

Answer 9

acute: cool wet dressings QID x 20 min (no bandaging)
sub-acute: discontinue wet dressings, steroid lotion/cream
chronic: warm water soaks, dry skin creams, steroid
cream/ointment

Question 10

True or false: if you are in the chronic stage of contact dermatitis, warm water soaks will suffice on their own as treatment

Answer 10

false
must be followed by a cream or ointment

Question 11

Describe intertrigo.

Answer 11

inflammation caused by skin-to-skin friction (between skin folds)
most often in warm, moist areas of the body
affected area may be sensitive or painful

Question 12

Would loose clothing or powder be of any use for intertrigo?

Answer 12

loose clothing: probably not, tight might actually be better
powder: definetly not cornstarch

Question 13

How does intertrigo clear up?

Answer 13

if you find a way to keep the affected areas as clean and dry as possible and correcting the causative factor

Question 14

In Canada, where is poison ivy common?

Answer 14

southern parts
west coast: poison oak
central Canada: poison sumac

Question 15

Which type of contact dermatitis is a poison ivy reaction?

Answer 15

allergic

Question 16

What is the component of poison ivy that causes skin reactions?

Answer 16

urushiol resin (oil from the plant)

Question 17

What are the symptoms of poison ivy reaction?

Answer 17

burning
red rash
appears in 12-48 hours

Question 18

If you are aware of contact with poison ivy, what should you immediately do?

Answer 18

wash the affected area

Question 19

True or false: the fluid from a broken blister (from poison ivy) will spread blisters to other areas of the body

Answer 19

false

Question 20

What are the treatments for poison ivy?

Answer 20

cool compresses
calamine
topical steroid (hydrocortisone or clobetasone)

Question 21

How long does it take for a mild reaction of poison ivy to subside?

Answer 21

7-10 days

Question 22

When should someone with a poison ivy reaction see a doctor?

Answer 22

high fever
discharge from the rash
rash is not improving within a few weeks
difficulty breathing

Question 23

If an antihistamine is desired for poison ivy, which antihistamine would we go for?

Answer 23

2nd gen