References
Intertrigo: causes, prevention and management
Abstract
Intertrigo, also known as intertriginous dermatitis, is one of the four separate conditions that fall under the umbrella term of moisture-associated skin damage (MASD). It can affect individuals of all ages. Intertrigo is a common inflammatory skin disorder caused by skin-on-skin friction within skin folds, as a result of moisture becoming trapped because of poor air circulation. It can occur in any area of the body where two skin surfaces are in close contact with each other, such as the axillary, inframammary, umbilical and inguinal areas, and is strongly associated with obesity. Consensus clinical expert opinion suggests that investment in the development and adoption of clear skin care and skin fold management protocols can lead to improvements in the patient experience and better clinical outcomes.
Intertrigo (also known as intertriginous dermatitis) is one of the four separate conditions that fall under the umbrella term of moisture-associated skin damage (MASD). MASD is a concept that has become generally accepted to describe the spectrum of damage that occurs as a result of the frequent exposure of the skin to various sources of moisture, such as urine or faeces, perspiration, wound exudate, mucus or saliva (Voegeli, 2019).
MASD and ‘moisture lesion’ are non-specific terms used to describe different forms of contact irritant dermatitis that comprise: incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD); intertrigo (ITD); periwound moisture-associated dermatitis; and peristomal moisture-associated dermatitis (Figure 1).
Interest in the concept of MASD as a clinical problem has grown significantly within nursing over the past decade. However, much of this work has focused on IAD, partly driven by the established association between IAD and the development of pressure ulcers/injury (Barakat-Johnson et al, 2018; Gray and Giuliano, 2018). The 11th revision of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) now contains codes for the separate forms of MASD within the EK02 irritant contact dermatitis section (WHO, 2019).
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting British Journal of Nursing and reading some of our peer-reviewed resources for nurses. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Limited access to clinical or professional articles
-
Unlimited access to the latest news, blogs and video content