The exact cause of eczema is still something of a mystery; however, doctors have been able to make some educated guesses as to this issue. In addition to overly dry skin, doctor believe that there is an autoimmune connection in that those with a weaker immune system may be more susceptible to eczema and other similar dermatitis conditions such as psoriasis, contact dermatitis, nummular dermatitis, and sulzberger-garbe syndrome. Psoriasis is a skin condition where red or white scaly patches grow on the epidermis which is due to overly active skin cell growth. Contact dermatitis, on the other hand, is where a person develops a rash or their skin becomes irritated due to allergies or environmental irritants. Nummular dermatitis is a type of eczema, but differs in that coin or circular shaped lesions appear on the skin, especially on the legs and butt. Sulzberger-garbe syndrome, otherwise known as “oid oid disease” is a type of nummular dermatitis that does not appear to respond to treatments very well in comparison to other types of dermatitis and eczema. 

Even though, eczema and other forms of dermatitis are chronic conditions, there are a variety of treatments and therapies that may be keep the condition at bay. Creams, particularly steroid creams, are especially popular as they reduce the inflammation and subsequent itchiness. Antibiotics and oral antihistamines are also used to treat eczema. Additionally phototherapy is deemed to be a useful treatment as well. Doctors typically use ultraviolet light or natural light along with creams or antibiotics as a means of treating dermatitis. However, with each of these treatment, there are risks and they do not guarantee that the condition will not return in the future.