ABSTRACT
Background: Acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis(AGEP) is a rare, cutaneous reaction characterised bysudden onset of numerous, non-follicular, sterile pustuleson oedematous erythematous skin, accompanied by feverand neutrophilia. AGEP is predominantly drug-induced. Skinlesions appear rapidly within 1-3 days of drug exposure andupon drug withdrawal, resolve rapidly within 15 days.Objective: To determine the clinical characteristics, culpritdrugs and outcome of patients with AGEP.Methods: A retrospective note review of all AGEP patientsseen from 2001-2015.Results: Among 21 AGEP patients, 76% were Malays, 9.5%Chinese, 9.5% Indians, and 5% Iban. Sixteen were femalesand 5 were males. Median age of patients was 40 years (IQR:26). The main culprit drug was amoxicillin (10 cases),followed by cloxacillin (three cases), phenytoin (two cases)and one case each of carbamazepine, sulphasalazine,allopurinol, cephalexin, ceftriaxone, celecoxib and herbalproduct. The median time from drug initiation to onset ofAGEP was 3 days (IQR: 5.5). Fever was documented in 52.4%, mucosal involvement 9.5%, purpura 4.7% and blisters4.7%. Neutrophilia was observed in 63.6% of patients andeosinophilia in 28.5%. While most patients requiredadmission (67%), all achieved complete recovery within 15days without any sequela.
ABSTRACT
background: Limited information exists regarding paediatric psoriasis and its association with body mass index (bMI) in Asia. Objectives: to determine the clinico-epidemiological profile and to compare the bMI of children with and without psoriasis. Methods: A case-control study of 92 children with psoriasis versus 59 with atopic eczema and 56 with non-inflammatory skin conditions. results: Psoriasis was more common in Malay and Indian children when compared to Chinese with odds ratios (Or) of 4.30 (95% CI, 1.85-9.99) and 3.00 (95% CI, 1.02-8.81) respectively. Prevalence of psoriasis was similar between Malay and Indian children (Or 1.43, 95% CI, 0.63-3.25). Male:female ratio was 1:1.09. the mean onset age of psoriasis was 7.9 years. Median onset age was earlier in males (6.5 years versus 9.0 years in females, p=0.05). Plaque psoriasis was the most common phenotype (89.1%) and 94.5% had scalp lesions. Arthritis was seen in 4.3%. Odds of excess adiposity, defined as bMI ≥85th percentile, was higher in children with psoriasis versus noninflammatory controls (Or 2.35, 95% CI 0.99-5.56, p= 0.052). No increased risk of adiposity was noted between children with psoriasis and eczema (Or 1.14, 95% CI 0.5-2.62, p=0.753). More children with psoriasis (17.4%) and eczema (20.3%) were underweight (bMI <5th percentile) compared to non-inflammatory controls (10.7%). Conclusion: Malays and Indians are three to four times more likely than Chinese to have psoriasis in multi-ethnic Malaysia. Plaque psoriasis is the most common phenotype. Odds of excess adiposity is about two times higher in children with psoriasis compared to non-inflammatory controls although this observation just missed conventional statistical significance.