Checklist for diagnosing atopic eczema

Typically, to be diagnosed with atopic eczema you must have had an itchy skin condition in the last 12 months, as well as three or more of the signs and symptoms described below:

• You have itchiness and irritation in the creases of your skin, such as the inside of your elbows, behind your knees, your ankles, around your neck or around your eyes.
• Your skin has been generally dry in the last 12 months.
• You have or have had asthma or hay fever. For children under the age of four, they must have an immediate relative, such as a parent, brother or sister, who has asthma or hay fever.
• There is eczema in the creases of your skin, or on the forehead, cheeks, arms or legs in children under the age of four.
• In children over four and adults, the condition started at the age of two or before.