Where do other “variants” of atopic eczema fit in?
When discussing the diagnostic criteria with other dermatologists, the author is often asked how other dermatological conditions which have been considered as possible variants of atopic eczema (such as dyshidrotic eczema, discoid eczema in children, juvenile plantar dermatosis and follicular and papular forms26) fit in with the criteria. The answer is that the criteria will not provide an easy way of saying whether these conditions are truly variants of atopic eczema. The criteria derived in our studies were only designed to discriminate between typical mild to moderate AE from other inflammatory conditions, as opposed to determine the degree of “atopiness” in other purported atopic eczema variants. Thus it would be quite wrong to say that an individual with an unusual pattern of dermatitis “definitely does not have atopic eczema” simply because he/she does not fulfil the UK criteria for AE. It would be accurate however to state that such an individual has a 97% probability of not hav
