Assessment of patch test results carried out during ten years in a city in southern Brazil

Abstract: Background: Contact dermatitis affects up to 20% of the population. Patch testing for contact allergy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis. Objectives: To describe and discuss the results of patch tests performed in a city in southern Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on all skin test results over ten years. Variables such as gender, age at the time of testing, and test results were evaluated. Triggering factors, duration of complain, and previous medications used related to the clinical history were retrieved for some patients by reviewing their medical records. Results: The sample was composed of 539 patch tests, of which 411 (76.2%) were from women. The age of the tested subjects ranged from 5 to 87 years. The prevalence of positive reactions in the patch tests was 391 (72.5%). The most prevalent positive reaction was to nickel sulfate (196; 36.4%), which had statistical significance when associated with female gender (p<0,001). Study limitations: Database obtained through secondary sources (the reports of the exams and the medical records), occurring the incomplete registration of some information. Conclusions: Data analysis at the local level is important to define preventive policies.

Prevalence of dermatological complaints in patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Internal malignancies such as breast cancer, as well as their treatment can often result in skin changes. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of dermatological complaints in patients who are undergoing oncological treatment for breast cancer in a hospital in Tubarão, Santa Catarina, Brazil. METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional study, from October 2015 to February 2016 in which 152 patients with the diagnosis of breast cancer, undergoing treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and/or surgery, were interviewed and completed a research protocol developed by the author. RESULTS: The treatment of breast cancer was associated with dermatological complaints in 94.1% of the interviewed, being with hair loss the most frequent, present in 79.6% of the sample, followed by nail changes (56%). Patients with lighter skin phototypes (I, II and III) had a lower risk (p=0.045) of developing skin changes when compared to darker phototypes. Radiation therapy (p=0.011) and oncological surgery (pFisher=0.004) were statistically significant when related to skin changes. STUDY LIMITATIONS: Inherent to the design of the study, as well as recall bias. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that most patients diagnosed with breast cancer showed dermatologic manifestations during the proposed cancer treatment. Patients undergoing radiotherapy and surgery showed skin changes with greater statistical significance.

Prevalence of self-medication for skin diseases: a systematic review

Self-medication is the selection and use of drugs without medical prescription, to treat diseases or for symptomatic relief. This article is a systematic review on self-medication in skin diseases. A search was conducted on Virtual Health Library and PubMed databases using predetermined descriptors. Two researchers performed the article selection process independently, with the degree of inter-observer agreement measured by the kappa index. The prevalence of self-medication ranged from 6.0 to 45.0%. Topical corticosteroids were the most commonly used therapeutic strategies for self-medication, as found in the reviewed articles. This study revealed that published data on self-medication in dermatology are scarce, although the findings showed that it was a common practice.