Suggest Treatment For Severe Eczema In An Elderly Person

Posted on Thu, 30 Jun 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 Answered on

Wed, 20 Jul 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I am trying to send a picture now.

Answered by Dr. Prof. Kunal Saha (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Immunosuppressive therapy likely be needed.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for sending the pictures but I would need to ask you about what clarification you seek precisely. However, going through the previous queries, it seems that your grandma has a severe form of eczema and is likely to have been caused due to autoimmune reactions where the body's own immune system attacks its parts, thinking them to be foreign. The inflammatory reactions need to be brought under control. Topical corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment. If that does not provide satisfactory results, immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine (Imuran), mycophenolate (CellCept), or cyclosporine (Neoral) need to be prescribed. These are all prescription medicines and her dermatologist needs to make a choice based on a number of factors which can be identified only after a proper clinical evaluation and systematic follow up. A battery of tests need to be done prior to that.

Feel free to write back to me in case of further queries.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar