Light cautery of macrocomedones under general anaesthesia.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to V Goulden.
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BACKGROUND: Acne is usually considered a disorder of adolescence, and a number of studies have examined the prevalence of this condition in the adolescent population. There are, however, relatively few data on the prevalence of acne in the adult population. OBJECTIVE: A community-based study was carried out to investigate the current prevalence of facial acne in adults. METHODS: Seven hundred forty-nine persons older than 25 years were examined for facial acne by means of the Leeds acne-grading technique. RESULTS: A degree of facial acne was recorded in 231 women and 130 men, giving an overall prevalence of 54% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49-58) in women and 40% (95% CI, 35-45) in men (P <.001). The acne observed in volunteers consisted principally of physiological acne, but clinical facial acne (grade > 0.75) was recorded in 3% (95% CI, 1.2-4.8) of men and in 12% (95% CI, 9-15) of women (P <.001). The prevalence of acne did not substantially decrease until after the age of 44 years (P <.001). CONCLUSION: This study shows a prevalence of clinical facial acne in women of 12%, which is likely to persist into middle age.
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The main allergenic constituents of Compositae plants are the sesquiterpene lactones (SLs). In recent years, a mixture of three SLs, each with a different sesquiterpene skeleton (alantolactone, dehydrocostuslactone or costunolide), has been routinely used to detect Compositae allergy. The purpose of our study was to establish the value of testing with a range of Compositae extracts. Ninety-seven consecutive patients with exposure pattern dermatitis or hand eczema and gardening as a hobby or occupation were patch tested to the European standard series including SL mix 0.1% pet., Compositae extracts and other relevant allergens. Twenty-six of the 97 patients tested showed allergic reactions to SL mix or Compositae extracts. Fifteen of these showed positive reactions to both the SL mix and Compositae extracts. Eleven patients showed a negative reaction to the SL mix but positive reaction to the Compositae extracts. Dandelion elicited a positive reaction in eight of the 11 SL mix-negative patients and three patients reacted to feverfew. The SL mix failed to detect 38% of our Compositae-sensitive patients. Dandelion extract alone detected 73% of SL-negative patients. Additional testing with feverfew extract would have detected 91% of the SL mix-negative individuals. Our study highlights the importance of testing the response of SL-negative patients to additional Compositae extracts when there is a clinical suspicion of Compositae allergy.
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Acne is usually recognized as a disorder of adolescence. However, the referral of patients over the age of 25 years with acne has significantly increased over the past 10 years. The clinical features of 200 patients over the age of 25 years, referred to our department for treatment of acne, were evaluated with a view to establishing possible aetiological factors. There were 152 (76%) women and 48 (24%) men. The mean age of the patients was 35.5 years (range 25-55 years). The acne was mild or moderate in severity, consisting principally of inflammatory lesions, with mean total acne grade (Leeds Grading Scale) of 1.125 for men and 0.75 for women. Most patients had persistent acne; but true late-onset acne (onset after the age of 25 years) was seen in 28 (18.4%) of women and four (8.3%) of men. Thirty-seven per cent of women had features of hyperandrogenicity. One hundred and sixty-four patients (82%) had failed to respond to multiple courses of antibiotics, and 64 (32%) had relapsed after treatment with one or more courses of isotretinoin. External factors, such as cosmetics, drugs and occupation, were not found to be significant aetiological factors. A family history revealed that 100 (50%) of patients had a first-degree relative with post-adolescent acne. Patients with post-adolescent acne appear to represent an increasingly important population of acne sufferers. External factors do not seem to have a significant aetiological role. Two main clinical groups were identified: those with persistent acne and those with late-onset acne. A minority of women also had features of hyperandrogenicity. These patients, and those with late-onset acne, may represent a subgroup who have underlying abnormalities of ovarian, adrenal or local androgen metabolism, and require separate investigation.
Adults with acne represent an increasingly important population of acne sufferers referred for treatment. Acne, in these patients, is generally mild or moderate in severity but tends to be resistant to conventional antibiotic therapy. A study was carried out to assess the efficacy of intermittent moderate dose isotretinoin as a treatment for acne. Eighty consecutive patients, over the age of 25 years, referred with acne unresponsive to, or relapsing rapidly after three or more courses of conventional antibiotic therapy were recruited. Acne severity was assessed on the face, chest and back using the Leeds grading scale and the number of inflamed lesions was counted at the site showing the highest acne grade. The patients were 22 men and 58 women. The treatment regimen consisted of isotretinoin, 0.5 mg/kg per day for 1 week in every 4 week for a total period of 6 months. Seventy-five patients completed the study. The therapy was very well tolerated with mild cheilitis as the only side-effect. At the end of treatment, both total acne grade and lesion counts were significantly reduced (P < 0.0001). The acne had resolved in 68 (88%) patients. Twelve months after treatment, acne grades and inflamed lesion counts remained significantly improved (P < 0.0001) in the 68 patients who responded; however, 26 (39%) patients had relapsed. There was a significantly higher incidence of relapse in patients with predominantly truncal acne (P = 0.01). Patients who relapsed also had a significantly higher total acne grade, lesion count (P < 0.0001) and sebum excretion rate (P < 0.001) compared with those whose acne resolved. This study suggests that intermittent moderate dose isotretinoin may be a cost-effective alternative to full dose isotretinoin in a carefully selected group of adult patients with-acne. Selection criteria should include predominantly facial acne, total acne grade less than 1, inflamed lesion count less than 20 and sebum excretion rate less than 1.25 micrograms/cm2 per min.
Minocycline is widely used as a second-line antimicrobial for acne vulgaris. Some patients require doses of up to 200 mg daily to control their acne. To assess the long-term safety of minocycline when used at higher doses, 700 patients treated with minocycline at doses of 100 mg daily, 100/200 mg on alternate days and 200 mg daily, were recruited. The mean duration of treatment was 10.5 months. Side-effects were monitored and full blood count, blood urea, electrolytes and liver function tests were carried out on 200 of the 700 patients. Side-effects were recorded in 13.6%, and included vestibular disturbance, candida infection, gastrointestinal disturbance, cutaneous symptoms (pigmentation, pruritus, photosensitive rash and urticaria) and benign intracranial hypertension. Pigmentation was the only side-effect found to be significantly increased in patients taking higher doses of minocycline, as compared with lower doses (P < 0.01). All patients with pigmentation had taken a total cumulative dose of over 70 g. No significant abnormalities were found in any of the haematological and biochemical profiles. We conclude that minocycline, at doses of up to 200 mg/day, is safe, long-term, for acne, when such doses are clinically necessary.
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We report a 7-year-old girl with extensive toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and neutropenia who was successfully treated using recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Our patient had extensive epidermal loss and neutropenia, both indicators of a poor prognosis, but none the less made a rapid and complete recovery.
Over the past four years terbinafine has become established as an effective systemic antimycotic agent with an excellent safety profile. However, experience with its use in children is very limited. We report the effective treatment of five children with oral terbinafine.
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BACKGROUND: There is at present little published information on the current indications for isotretinoin as a treatment of acne vulgaris. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the factors which influence our current prescribing of isotretinoin: acne severity, response to previous therapy, scarring and psychological effect. METHODS: Data on the factors influencing treatment of 200 patients with isotretinoin between January 1993 and May 1994 were examined. RESULTS: 41% of patients were prescribed isotretinoin for partial response to previous therapy, 26% for partial therapy and scarring and 17% for partial response to treatment and psychological disturbance. Only 16 patients received isotretinoin for severe acne. CONCLUSION: Patients who show only partial response to conventional antibiotic therapy should be prescribed isotretinoin in order to minimize scarring and significant psychological disturbance, independently of the severity of the acne.
We assessed possible long-term side-effects of isotretinoin therapy in 720 patients who had received one or more courses of treatment, and had a mean follow-up period of 4.9 years (range 2-12 years). Most patients (442) had received a total cumulative dose of 120-200 mg/kg body weight. One hundred and sixty-two patients received a cumulative dose of < 120 mg/kg body weight, and 116 received a cumulative dose > 200 mg/kg. Fifty-two patients (7.2%) reported persistent symptoms during the follow-up period. No correlation was found between age, sex, cumulative dose, or number of courses of isotretinoin and occurrence of reported possible side-effects. The reported symptoms were predominantly musculoskeletal (2%) or mucocutaneous (4.8%), and were mild in all cases. Xeroderma, dry eye syndrome, arthralgia, and possible exacerbation of eczema, were considered to be infrequent but probable long-term side-effects. The findings of this study indicate that isotretinoin in the treatment of acne is a safe drug, with no serious long-term side-effects.
A case of pyoderma gangrenosum of the lip occurring in association with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria is described. This is an extremely rare association, which has been documented in the literature on only two previous occasions. Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an uncommon ulcerative skin disorder of unknown aetiology. Its clinical appearance is often distinctive, with established lesions consisting of a necrotic ulcer surrounded by a ragged undermined violaceous edge. Lesions are usually painful and are most often found on the lower limbs but can occur on the trunk, head and neck. The diagnosis is essentially clinical as there are no characteristic histopathological changes. Since its original description in 1930, PG has been frequently associated with a number of underlying systemic diseases. Foremost among these are inflammatory bowel disease and inflammatory polyarthritis. The association with haematological disorders is also well recognized, and includes acute and chronic lymphocytic and myeloid leukaemias, polycythaemia rubra vera, myelofibrosis, myelodysplastic syndrome, essential thrombocythaemia, hypogammaglobinaemia, monoclonal gammopathy, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We report a case of PG occurring on the lower lip of a 26-year-old man recently diagnosed as having paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH).
We report three patients with notalgia paraesthetica. In two of our cases amyloid deposits were found on skin biopsy. Symptoms had been present in both cases for a number of years. It is well recognized that the amount of amyloid present in macular amyloid is often very small and difficult to detect. We suggest that many cases of long-standing notalgia paraesthetica may result in the formation of amyloid, possibly secondary to chronic friction.