The key difference between dyshidrotic eczema and herpetic whitlow is that dyshidrotic eczema is a skin condition that causes tiny blisters to develop across the fingers, palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet, while herpetic whitlow is a skin condition that causes painful blisters to develop near fingernails.
Dyshidrotic eczema and herpetic whitlow are two skin conditions that mainly affect the skin around the fingers. Both skin conditions cause blisters to develop across or near the fingernails. However, they have different aetiologies and different treatment strategies.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Dyshidrotic Eczema
3. What is Herpetic Whitlow
4. Similarities – Dyshidrotic Eczema and Herpetic Whitlow
5. Dyshidrotic Eczema vs Herpetic Whitlow in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Dyshidrotic Eczema vs Herpetic Whitlow
What is Dyshidrotic Eczema?
Dyshidrotic eczema is a skin condition that causes tiny blisters to develop across the fingers, palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet due to allergies, stress, and moist or sweaty hands and feet. This condition is more common in people between the ages of 20 and 40, people assigned female at birth, people with a personal history of eczema, people with a personal history of contact dermatitis, people who develop allergic reactions when they touch an antigen, and people who receive immunoglobulin infusions. The common symptoms of dyshidrotic eczema may include small firm blisters on the sides of the palms, fingers, and soles, painful blisters, itchiness, scaliness of skin on or around the blisters, increased sweating around the blisters, and dry, cracked skin that appears after blisters fade.
Figure 01: Dyshidrotic Eczema
Dyshidrotic eczema can be diagnosed through family history, physical examinations, allergy tests, biopsies, and blood tests. Furthermore, treatment options for dyshidrotic eczema are a skincare routine (warm water to wash hands, soaking hands and feet in cool water, applying moisturizers, drying the hands and feet after bathing, applying cool compresses, and avoiding wearing gloves, socks, or shoes), over the counter medications such as topical corticosteroid creams or ointments, and taking oral antihistamine pills such as fexofenadine or cetirizine.
What is Herpetic Whitlow?
Herpetic whitlow is a skin condition that causes painful blisters to develop near the fingernail due to an infection of herpes simplex virus. This condition is more common in children who suck their thumbs, healthcare workers, people exposed to genital herpes, athletes such as wrestlers, and people with a weakened immune system. The signs and symptoms of herpetic whitlow may include fluid-filled bumps on the skin near the fingernail, colour changes to the skin around nails (darker than the normal skin colour or red to purple), and swollen fingers.
Figure 02: Herpetic Whitlow
Herpetic whitlow can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examinations, culture tests, and PCR tests. Furthermore, herpetic whitlow is treated through oral or topical antiviral medication (acyclovir) and an over-the-counter pain reliever (analgesic) for pain.
What are the Similarities Between Dyshidrotic Eczema and Herpetic Whitlow?
- Dyshidrotic eczema and herpetic whitlow are two skin conditions that mainly affect the skin around the fingers.
- They are rare skin conditions.
- Both these skin conditions cause blisters to develop across or near the fingernails.
- They are common in people with immune system problems.
- Both these skin conditions can be diagnosed through medical history and physical examination.
- They are mainly treated through skincare and specific medications.
What is the Difference Between Dyshidrotic Eczema and Herpetic Whitlow?
Dyshidrotic eczema is a skin condition that causes tiny blisters to develop across the fingers, palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet, while herpetic whitlow is a skin condition that causes painful blisters to develop near the fingernail. Thus, this is the key difference between dyshidrotic eczema and herpetic whitlow. Furthermore, dyshidrotic eczema normally accounts for 5 % to 20 % of all cases of hand dermatitis. On the other hand, herpetic whitlow affects 2 people per 100,000 in the United States.
The infographic below presents the differences between dyshidrotic eczema and herpetic whitlow in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Dyshidrotic Eczema vs Herpetic Whitlow
Dyshidrotic eczema and herpetic whitlow are two skin conditions that commonly affect the skin around the fingers. Dyshidrotic eczema causes a sudden rash of small, itchy blisters across the fingers, on the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet, while herpetic whitlow causes painful blisters near the fingernail on the skin. So, this summarizes the difference between dyshidrotic eczema and herpetic whitlow.
Reference:
1. “Dyshidrotic Eczema (Dyshidrosis): Symptoms, Causes, Treatments.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. Higuera, Valencia. “Herpetic Whitlow: Symptoms, Causes, and Diagnosis.” Healthline.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Dyshidrosis” By Inwe~commonswiki assumed – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Herpetic Whitlow” By Babydog50 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia