Background: The term "dermatitis" can be defined narrowly or broadly, clinically or histologically. A common and costly condition, dermatitis is underresourced compared to other chronic skin conditions. The lack of a collectively understood definition of dermatitis and its subcategories could be the primary barrier.
Objective: To investigate how dermatologists define the term "dermatitis" and determine if a consensus on the definition of this term and other related terms exists.
Methods: A seven-question survey of dermatologists nationwide was conducted.
Results: Of respondents (n = 122), half consider dermatitis to be any inflammation of the skin. Nearly half (47.5%) use the term interchangeably with "eczema." Virtually all (> 96%) endorse the subcategory "atopic" under the terms "dermatitis" and "eczema," but the subcategories "contact," "drug hypersensitivity," and "occupational" are more highly endorsed under the term "dermatitis" than under the term "eczema." Over half (55.7%) personally consider "dermatitis" to have a broad meaning, and even more (62.3%) believe that dermatologists as a whole define the term broadly.
Conclusion: There is a lack of consensus among experts in defining dermatitis, eczema, and their related subcategories.