A Clinical and Mycological Study of Dermatophytoses in Soldiers of Kangwon Province / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytoses are common disorders. Prevalence of dermatophytoses is not static but dynamic under the influence of various forces such as climate, migration of people and development of prophylaxis and therapy. OBJECTIVE: This study was made in order to investigate the clinical and mycological status of dermatophytoses in soldiers of Kangwon province, such as incidence and monthly distribution of the diseases and a variety of the causative organisms. METHODS: We performed the clinical and mycological study on 177 patients with dermatophytoses which was diagnosed by KOH examination and fungal culture at the outpatient department of dermatology of Chuncheon Armed Forces General Hospital from October, 1997 to September, 1998. RESULTS: The incidence of dermatophytoses was 12.7% of a total of 1393 outpatients. Tinea pedis(47.5%) developed most frequently, followed by tinea cruris(29.9%), tinea manus (10.2%), tinea corporis(5.6%), tinea faciale(3.4%), tinea unguium(2.8%), and tinea capitis(0.6%) in decreasing order. The mean age of the patients was 21.9 years(range, 20-24). The incidence of dermatophytoses by rank was highest in private 1st class group(32.8%), followed by corporal group(28.8%), private group(24.3%), sergeant group(13.6%), and new private group(0.6%) in decreasing order. There were coexisting fungal infections in 27 patients(15.3%), and the case of tinea pedis with tinea unguium was the most common. The positive rate of KOH examination was 96.6% and the positive rate of fungal culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar media with cycloheximide was 66.1%. The most common organism cultured was Trichophyton(T.) rubrum(94.0%), followed by T. mentagrophtes(5.1%) and T. verrucosum(0.9%). CONCLUSION:These results are higher incidence of dermatophytoses than those of previous studies. The incidence of tinea pedis was also higher than the previous studies. These are probably due to tight-fitting army boots in summer and spreading of infection among non-infected soldiers living together. The most common causative organism was T. rubrum.

A Case of Epidermal Cyst containing Hair Shafts and Trichilemmal Cyst occurring on the Knees / 대한피부과학회지

We report a case of 4-year-old girl with erythematous papule and nodule on the right knee and left knee, respectively. Histopathologically, the findings of walls of the each cystic lesions were those of the epidermal cyst containing hair shafts of lanugo size on the right knee and the trichilemmal cyst on the left knee. The observation of hair shafts in a cystic cavity represents an important clue for identifying some unusual varieties of cystic lesions. We report a interesting case of epidermal cyst containing hair shafts and trichilemmal cyst simultaneously and independently occurred on the right knee and left knee, respectively.

A Case of Partial Unilateral Lentiginosis with Familial History / 대한피부과학회지

Partial unilateral lentiginosis is a rare pigmentary disorder characterized by the numerous unilateral lentigines on the otherwise normal skin. A 13-year-old woman presented with asymptomatic multiple brownish macules on the left periorbital area. Her mother and maternal grandfather had the same clinical features on the left abdomen. Histologic examination of the pigmented lesion revealed findings consistent with lentigo simplex. We report an interesting case of partial unilateral lentiginosis with familial occurrence.

A Case of Solar Urticaria / 대한피부과학회지

Solar urticaria is an uncommon disorder characterized by pruritus, erythema and whealing occurring minutes after exposure to sunlight or artificial radiation, and generally resolves in a few hours. A 46-year-old woman presented with a 2-year history of pruritus and whealing, which occurred immediately after exposure to sunlight. Phototesting elicited urticarial reactions in the UVA and visible sepectra. The results of passive and reverse passive transfer studies were all negative. The patient was treated with cetirizine, doxepin and prednisolone. After 2 months of the treatment, the symptoms did not appear.