Doxycycline in pityriasis rosea: placebo-controlled clinical trial

Pityriasis rosea is an acute, self-limiting skin disease, probably of infective origin. Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and most probably has an immunomodulator and an anti-inflammatory effect. To assess the efficacy of doxycycline in the treatment of pityriasis rosea in patients evaluated between January 2001 and May 2002. This was a placebo-controlled clinical trial. One hundred and twenty patients with pityriasis rosea were included in the study; all of them were above 12 years of age. They had been divided into 2 groups, the treatment group consisted of 60 patients and received doxycycline capsule. 100 mg orally for 14 days and the placebo group consisted of 60 patients and received glucose capsules for 14 days, all the patients were followed up clinically for 4 weeks after treatment, the responses were categorized into excellent, partial and no response. Forty-six patients from the treatment group completed the study. Excellent response was achieved in 30 patients [65%], partial response in 15 patients [33.5%] and no response in 1 patient [1.5%]. Forty patients from the placebo group completed the study. Excellent response was achieved in 4 patients [10%], partial response in 20 [50%] and no response in 16 patients [40%]. The results were statistically significant. We concluded that doxycycline was effective in the treatment of pityriasis rosea, with very few adverse effects

Chronic paronychia the fungal and bacterial aetiology in Iraqi patients

Aim: to study chronic paronychia

Patients And Methods: one hundred Patients including 96 females and 4 males with chronic paronychia [CP] were included in this study, with an effort to determine the occurrence of CP among Iraqi population, and the role of microorganisms in the aetiology of the disease in both sexes

Results: the study revealed that the peak age range of patients with CP [50-59 years] generally was greater than other age ranges. Forty-five percent of the female patients with CP were "housewives." Chronic paronychia was more common on the right fingers than the left fingers. The most commonly affected fingers were the middle and index fingers. Seventy-six patients from the total 100 who nail fold smears showed positive findings for budding yeast cells, suggestive of candidal infection. The rest twenty-four patients had negative fungal culture results [just bacterial]

Conclusions: chronic paronychia can occur in all ages and both sexes but more likely in middle aged women , persistent exposure to wet environment associated with high risk of infection, particularly in housewives , chronic paronychia affects the most used hand [MUH] more often than the least used hand [LUH] , particularly the right middle finger, the number of affected fingers increases as the duration of the disease increase , chronic paronychia caused by Candida albicans [yeast-like-fungus ] and their occurrence increases with diabetes mellitus and corticosteroids therapy , bacterial infections are common in our chronic paronychia patients, particulary S.epidermidis and S. aureus

Comparison between staphylococcus aureus carriers in patients with boil and recurrent boil infections

This study was conducted to determine the incidence of recurrent boil infections in the society and the carrier state of S. aureus in patients with boil and recurrent boil infections. Swabs were obtained from nostril, axilla and perineal area of each patient. The percentage of the carrier state was [87%] of the whole 100 patients. The carrier state of all patients according to sites, nostril alone [21%], axilla alone [zero], perineum [17%], while nostril, axilla and perineum sites together [49%]. The finding of this study emphasize the carrier state of S. aureus was higher in patients with recurrent boil infections than the first time infection

Striae distensae - like lesions. A cause of scarring alopecia among children

Although alopecia areata is a common problem among children, many misdiagnoses for this condition can happen. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the striae distensae as lesions that cause scarring alopecia with a great resemblance to alopecia areata. A total of 36 children with provisional diagnosis of alopecia areata of the scalp were assessed clinically in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, between June 1998 to June 2001. Their age ranged from 3-12 years and the mean + standard deviation [SD] was 7.30 + 2.59 years with equal sex ratio. All patients provided for this study had a history of patchy hair loss of few months duration. Their parents denied any history of obvious trauma and many modalities of treatment had been tried without benefit. The clinical examination revealed single or multiple [1-6] [mean + SD 2.41 + 1.22] complete linear hair loss patches resembling atrophic scar that was similar to striae distensae. The histopathological examination showed atrophy of the epidermis, full replacement of the dermis by collagen bundles, and complete loss of appendages. This is a new entity, which seems to be common among children and often confused with untreated cases of alopecia areata. This condition should be added to the differential diagnosis of patchy hair loss in children and the parents should be reassured of the cause of hair loss and no treatment therapy needed