What are the symptoms of eczema?

• A. Irritant, redness, skin edema, itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, bleeding
• B. Fever, nausea, and vomiting
• C. Itchy hands only
• D. Hair loss on scalp

Answer: (A)

Eczema shows up mainly with skin-focused signs of inflammation and itch. The hallmark is intense itching, and the skin tends to be red, dry, and swollen. During flare-ups you often see crusting and cracking, with the skin sometimes peeling or flaking. Blisters can form and may ooze, which can then crust over, and scratching can lead to small bleeds. This combination of itching plus a progression from dryness and redness to swelling, cracking, crusting, and sometimes oozing captures the typical presentation of eczema.

Fever, nausea, and vomiting aren’t skin-based signs of eczema and point to other conditions. Itching on just the hands is too limited to define eczema, and hair loss on the scalp isn’t a standard feature of eczema.