Commentary: onychomycosis: an epidemio-etiologic perspective.
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Infantile acropustulosis (IA) is a condition of young children characterized by recurrent episodes of pruritic vesicles and pustules in an acral distribution. Several reports describe patients with scabies infestation prior to the diagnosis of IA, although the relationship between the two remains unclear. Furthermore, optimal therapy is controversial. We reviewed the history of scabies and response to therapy in 21 patients diagnosed with IA at two institutions between 1983 and 1997. A history of prior treatment for scabies was noted in 14 patients, although only two had mites, feces, or ova detected on microscopic examination for diagnostic verification. All patients were treated with topical corticosteroids (4 with class I, 12 with class II, 3 with class III, 1 with class IV, and 1 with class VI). All 18 patients who returned for follow-up experienced significant improvement or cleared completely with treatment. There were no observed cutaneous or systemic side effects from corticosteroid therapy. We conclude that a history of preceding scabies is common in patients with IA, but often this diagnosis is made without microscopic confirmation. We also demonstrate that mid- to high-potency topical corticosteroids are a safe and effective first-line therapy for patients with IA.
It is mandatory to establish a firm diagnosis before starting systemic antimycotic therapy because of potential side effects and relatively high therapy costs. Direct microscopy and fungal culture are the most widely employed diagnostic tools. Not infrequently, a strong clinical suspicion cannot be proven by even repeated direct microscopic examinations and fungal cultures. In these cases histologic examination is a simple alternative. We identified 32 cases of histopathologically proven onychomycosis; of the 29 where a fungal culture was performed, only 14 (48%) were positive. Direct microscopy was performed only in 12 cases since most had repeatedly negative direct microscopy results before being referred to us; 5 cases (42%) were positive. Histopathology for onychomycosis has several advantages in addition to its sensitivity--particularly in difficult to diagnose cases: lack of the danger of contamination, a permanent preparation with the possibility to demonstrate fungal invasion of the nail organ and to identify other or concomitant nail disorders, simplicity of the procedure; quicker results as compared to fungal culture. Exact specification of the fungus is not possible with histology. Even though histological examination is not mentioned in the current guidelines for onychomycosis of the German Dermatological Society, it should be kept in mind as a simple but sensitive diagnostic tool.
We describe a 69-year-old patient with long-standing mixed connective tissue disease who suffered from severe skin eruptions that did not respond to various immunosuppressive regimens. Therapy with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin was successful in controlling the patient's disease without major side effects. We think that this regimen-although expensive-might be an interesting therapeutic option in selected patients with mixed connective tissue disease that is refractory to other treatment modalities.
BACKGROUND: Dyshidrotic palmoplantar eczema is a frequent disease often running a chronic relapsing course. Topical glucocorticosteroids form the mainstay of therapy, and alternatives are urgently warranted. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to compare the efficacy of tacrolimus (FK506) 0.1% ointment and mometasone furoate 0.1% ointment in the treatment of dyshidrotic palmoplantar eczema. METHODS: Sixteen patients were included in the study after a randomized, observer-blind, intrapersonal comparison protocol. After a 2-week washout period, the active treatment phase amounted to 4 weeks with twice-daily topical application of test substances and additional use of emollients at will. Thereafter, patients were monitored at weekly intervals up to 8 weeks. RESULTS: The dyshidrotic area and severity index showed a more than 50% reduction of baseline values after 2 weeks of active treatment both for FK506 (P =.003) and mometasone furoate (P =.022) in palmar areas. After active treatment, a nonsignificant increase in the dyshidrotic area and severity index was seen with FK506 treated areas. Fourteen of 16 patients had recurring symptoms requiring further therapy within 3 weeks after the active treatment phase. CONCLUSION: Treatment with FK506 offers the possibility for rotational therapy with mometasone furoate in long-standing cases of chronic dyshidrotic palmar eczema.
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Pathogenic fungi were isolated from 149 of 210 Gabonese patients with clinical signs of tinea pedis. Hendersonula toruloidea was isolated from 51 patients (34.2%), either alone (in 25%) or in association with a dermatophyte species or Candida albicans. Clinical signs of H. toruloidea infection closely resembled those of dermatophyte infection except that hyperkeratinization of the soles was most often associated with infection by H. toruloidea. H. toruloidea mycelium could be readily distinguished from dermatophyte mycelium on direct examination of skin scrapings. All the H. toruloidea isolates closely resembled the Type 1 isolates described by Moore, both microscopically and macroscopically. The importance of establishing a mycological diagnosis of this infection and the therapeutic implications of infection with H. toruloidea are discussed. This fungus was isolated from 34% of our patients from Gabon with clinical tinea pedis.
Actinic prurigo (AP) is an idiopathic familial photodermatosis seen in American Indians. We report on 17 patients; 16 had dermatitis and one had actinic cheilitis. Ten patients had acute dermatitis and six had chronic dermatitis. The histologies of acute AP and polymorphous light eruption (PLE; limited concept) are eczematous and indistinguishable. Both show spongiosis, superficial (and sometimes deep) perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates, and papillary dermal edema. Both also show vacuolar degeneration of the basal layer. In contrast, the chronic lichenified AP lesions are associated with marked hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, elongation of the rete ridges, and tissue repair. The large lymphoid germinal centers in the lamina propria are the main features of the lip histology. Seven biopsies were positive in the basal membrane zone on direct immunofluorescent testing, four were negative, and one was inconclusive. IgM was present in six and C3 in two. These immunofluorescent results are probably not significant. Immunofluorescent testing of the lip was negative. Although it is not possible to distinguish acute AP from PLE histologically, it is possible to differentiate the two conditions when chronic AP changes are present.
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In a multicentre study of the German Contact Dermatitis Research Group, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) 0.25% and 0.5% aq. has been added to routine allergen patch tests to assess its properties as a convenient diagnostic indicator of individual susceptibility to irritation at the time of patch testing. Previous studies indicated that irritant SLS reactivity may be related to individual factors such as age and sex. As these factors are, in turn, among the important predictors of contact allergy to many allergens, e.g. summarized in the 'MOAHLFA index', the impact of the MOAHLFA factors on irritant SLS patch test reactivity, and thus a potential for confounding, was assessed in the 5971 participating patients. As a result of 2 logistic regression analyses with an irritant reaction to 0.25% and 0.5% SLS, respectively, as outcome, male sex was identified as a relatively weak but significant risk factor (OR 1.38), while age 40 years or older was an even weaker risk factor (OR 1.22 and 1.15, respectively). Upon detailed analysis, no clear age gradient could, however, be identified. 1-day exposure time almost halved the odds of an irritant SLS reaction. In conclusion, this type of SLS patch test can be regarded as robust, indicating individual irritability relatively independent from the individual factors analysed here.
Epoxy resin systems (ERSs) are a frequent cause of occupational allergic contact dermatitis. Sensitization occurs not only to the resins, but also to hardeners and reactive diluents. However, only a fraction of the ERS components currently in use are available for patch testing. With the multicentre study EPOX 2002, we attempted to improve diagnostics in this field by patch testing with components currently used in ERSs. During the first study period (October 2002 to July 2003), in addition to commercially available ERS patch test substances, 16 study substances (1 resin, 9 hardeners and 6 reactive diluents) were patch tested in 70 patients with suspected contact allergy due to ERSs and 22 patients with a prior positive patch test reaction to epoxy resin (ER) in the standard series. Most frequently, allergic reactions to ER based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and F were observed (55.2% and 43.7%, respectively). Agreement between positive reactions to both resins, which can be explained by immunological cross-sensitization and/or coexposure, was substantial [Cohen's kappa 0.65 (95% CI: 0.49-0.80)]. Among the reactive diluents, 1,6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether (1,6-HDDGE) and 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (1,4-BDDGE) were the most frequent allergens, with 19.5% and 18.4% positive reactions, respectively. Although agreement between positive reactions to 1,6-HDDGE and 1,4-BDDGE was even better than with the 2 resins, the sample size is considered too small to decide reliably whether 1,6-HDDGE alone could serve as a marker allergen for both. Allergic reactions to p-tert-butylphenyl glycidyl ether and to phenyl glycidyl ether (PGE) occurred in 11.5% of the patients tested, with only moderate agreement. All patients positive to cresyl glycidyl ether (6.8%) also reacted to PGE. Of the hardeners tested, m-xylylene diamine was the most frequent allergen (13.8%), followed by isophorone diamine (5.7%). No reactions were observed to several substances, the test concentration of which may have been too low and will be increased in the future.
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A 47-year-old female with hyperhidrosis developed multiple subepidermal calcified nodules and keratosis punctata on her palms. Although calcification was not detected on eccrine sweat glands around the calcified mass by histologic examination, it was supposed that the eccrine sweat glands may have played a role in inducing these two lesions in our case.
The "complete cure" of onychomycosis requires long-term treatment with a systemic antifungal agent. Therefore, to properly assess the effects of an antifungal agent on onychomycosis requires a long follow-up. We have conducted a retrospective analysis of the patients treated with griseofulvin (GRF) from 1962 to 1992 and a clinical study to compare the long-term effect of GRF with that of a new oral antifungal agent, itraconazole (ITCZ), for patients who received treatment from 1992 to 1995. For the retrospective study, 281 patients who were microscopically diagnosed as having onychomycosis at the Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, and received GRF administration in 1962, 1972, 1982, and 1992, were evaluated for cure rate and dropout rate. The total cure rate was 29.2%, but the cure rate was 68.8% for the patients who continued their medication for more than one year. For the comparative study, 139 patients who received the treatment at the same institution between 1992 and 1995 were evaluated. The cure rate and the dropout rate for GRF were found to be 23.8% (23/97) and 52.6% (51/97) respectively. The cure rate and the dropout rate for ITCZ were found to be 50.0% (21/42) and 38.1% (15/42). When the two treatment protocols were compared for their long-term effects, we found that most of the patients treated with ITCZ were cured within 3 years, and about 30% of the patients treated with GRF remained uncured even after long-term administration of the agent. Furthermore, from a multiple regression analysis, the GRF/ITCZ administration required to cure onychomycosis was estimated to be 3.92 + 0.161 [Age (years)] + 0.635 [Number of infected toenails] months. The results of this study suggest that the biggest problem associated with the treatment of onychomycosis with an oral antifungal agent is compliance in long-term therapy. Notably, the final cure rate of ITCZ therapy went over 90%, suggesting that the low dose continuous therapy, the standard treatment protocol in Japan, was a key contributing factor for the higher cure rate for ITCZ.