Recurrence of Punctate Inner Choroidopathy with an Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant

PURPOSE: To report a case of punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) treated with an intravitreal dexamethasone implant due to side effects of systemic steroid treatment. CASE SUMMARY: A 23-year-old highly myopic female who presented with PIC in her right eye was treated with an intravitreal dexamethasone implant due to side effects of systemic steroid treatment including facial edema and sleep disturbances. Three months after the implant she complained of severe acute visual disturbances in her right eye. Her visual acuity was classified as hand movement. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) was observed on optical coherence tomography and indocyanine green angiography revealed more multiple hypofluorescent lesions compared to the initial visit. Six months after the systemic steroid and intravitreal bevacizumab injection treatments, visual acuity in right eye improved and the CNV disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: This report describes a case of PIC after, treatment with an intravitreal dexamethasone implant due to the side effects of systemic steroid treatment, which recurred with complications.

A 15-year Retrospective Study of DRESS Syndrome: A Single Center Study / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a syndrome involving multiple organs. Due to a variable clinical presentation and uncertain definition, diagnosis is often delayed or misdiagnosed. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the common causative drugs of DRESS and differences according to drugs, clinical features, and prognosis of DRESS, and secondly to compare the differences between steroid use group versus non-use group. METHODS: Medical records of hospitalized patients at the Sanggye Paik Hospital from January 2001 to December 2015 were collected. DRESS patients were enrolled retrospectively using the RegiSCAR diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: A total of 65 patients were included. The four most common causative drug groups were antibiotics (27.7%), anticonvulsants (20%), antituberculosis agents (16.9%), and allopurinol (16.9%). The mean incubation period was 4 weeks, significantly shorter in antibiotics (2 weeks, p < 0.001) and significantly longer in anticonvulsants (6.5 weeks, p=0.033). Sixty-three patients fully recovered with a mean recovery time of 3.1 (standard deviation 2.2) weeks, one patient had sequelae, and one patient died. Recovery time tended to increase with longer duration of diagnosis from rash onset (p < 0.001, correlation coefficient=0.419) and higher serum aspartate aminotransferase levels (p=0.024, correlation coefficient=0.297). The mean recovery time was 1 week shorter for the systemic steroid use group, but it was not statistically significant (p=0.056). CONCLUSION: DRESS may be a heterogeneous syndrome with specific characteristics related to different drugs. The prognosis of DRESS is relatively good and the role of systemic steroid therapy is unclear. Prompt diagnosis and immediate discontinuation of the causative drug are essential for early recovery.

A Case of Steroid Glaucoma in a Child Treated with Systemic Steroid as Graft-Versus-Host Disease

PURPOSE: To report a case of steroid-induced glaucoma in a child who was treated with systemic steroids for a long period due to graft-versus-host disease. CASE SUMMARY: A 10-year-old male was referred to our ophthalmologic clinic for examination of papilledema due to persistent headache and nausea. He was diagnosed as aplastic anemia 8 years prior and took approximately 4,000 mg of oral prednisolone for 8 years from April 2007 to April 2015 for treatment of lung graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. His best corrected visual acuity was 0.8 (decimal) in the right eye, 0.5 in the left eye and intraocular pressure (IOP) measured using a Goldmann applanation tonometer was 42 mm Hg in the right eye and 43 mm Hg in the left eye. His cup-to-disc ratio was 0.8 in the right eye and 0.7 in the left eye. Additionally, superior and inferior neuroretinal rim thinning was present in both eyes. Despite using IOP-lowering agents, IOP was not controlled. However, after trabeculectomy with mitomycin C in both eyes, IOP became normalized. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of pediatric patients treated with systemic steroids for a long period of time, regular observation is necessary to prevent IOP elevation and steroid-induced glaucoma.

Systemic Steroid Therapy for Serous Retinal Detachment Caused by Excessive Endolaser during Diabetic Retinopathy Surgery

PURPOSE: To report cases of macular serous retinal detachment caused by excessive intraoperative endolaser in patients with diabetic vitreous hemorrhage. Macular serous retinal detachment was improved by systemic steroid therapy. CASE SUMMARY: A 64-year-old male (case 1) and a 67-year-old female (case 2) treated with vitrectomy and endolaser (case 1, 3,184 shots; case 2, 1,734 shots) because of diabetic vitreous hemorrhage visited our out-patient clinic with blurred vision. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in case 1 was hand motion and 0.03 in case 2. Fundus examination and optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed extensive subretinal fluid accumulation of the posterior pole. With the diagnosis of macular serous retinal detachment caused by excessive intraoperative endoaser, oral steroid (40 mg/qd, 5 days) was administered and then later reduced in case 1. In case 2, we administered intravenous high-dose steroid (250 mg/qid, 3 days). After systemic steroid therapy, BCVA was improved to 20/30 in case 1 and 20/40 in case 2 and OCT showed the subretinal fluid was resolved. CONCLUSIONS: During diabetic retinopathy surgery, excessive endolaser induced macular serous retinal detachment and systemic steroid therapy was necessary in diabetic patients. Thus, physicians should be well acquainted with this complication.

Clinical pharmacology review for primary health care providers: II. Steroids

Primary health care providers play a critical role in maintaining public health, and the appropriate prescription of pharmaceutical products is a major component of their practice. This series of articles entitled 'Clinical Pharmacology Review for Primary Health Care Providers' is intended to help primary health care providers select more appropriate prescriptions for frequently used drugs based on up-to-date information. We expect that this effort will contribute to improvements in public health and diminish unnecessary drug use.

Steroid-induced Central Serous Retinopathy—A Case Report

Long-term, high-dose corticosteroid therapy is well-known to cause systemic and ocular complications. A lesser known complication is chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). Although idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSR) is known to be mild with spontaneous recovery and minimal effects on the final visual acuity, chronic CSCR as a complication of long-term steroid therapy behaves differently, and may cause irreversible visual impairment.

Vitiligo Lesions Stopped Spreading after Oral Cyclosporine in a Vitiligo Patient Who Shows Systemic Steroid Resistance / 대한피부과학회지

No abstract available.

Clinical Characteristics of Pediatric Orbital Pseudotumors

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical manifestations, radiologic findings, and treatment outcomes of pediatric pseudotumors. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with pediatric pseudotumor (age under 20 years old) from August 2008 to February 2012 was performed. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (16 eyes) were included in this study. The mean age of the subjects was 14.2 years (5-20 years). Swollen eyelid (56.3%), ptosis (43.8%), conjunctival injection (18.8%), localized mass (18.8%), limitation of ocular movement (12.5%), proptosis (6.3%), and decreased visual acuity (6.3%) were found initially. Dacryoadenitis (62.5%), myositis (18.8%), anterior orbital inflammation (18.8%), and diffuse type (6.3%) were observed on orbital computed tomography (CT). Among the 13 patients (16 eyes), 8 patients (10 eyes) were administered oral systemic corticosteroids, 2 patients (2 eyes) received IV systemic corticosteroid, 1 patient (1 eye) received systemic corticosteroids combined with NSAID, and 2 patients (3 eyes) were prescribed NSAIDs only. Symptoms improved 4.1 days after initiation of treatment. CT scans revealed that one patient experienced diffuse-type disease recurrence twice. CONCLUSIONS: Orbital pseudotumors, which are rare in younger people, are likely to respond very well to corticosteroid treatment, and the recurrence of orbital inflammation is rare.

Two Cases of Young Patients with Bilateral Posterior Scleritis Accompanied with Serous Retinal Detachment

PURPOSE: To report 2 young female patients with bilateral posterior scleritis and serous retinal detachment. CASE SUMMARY: An 11-year-old girl (Case 1) and a 16-year-old girl (Case 2) visited our clinic with bilateral ocular pain, redness, and blurred vision. Slit lamp examinations revealed severe bilateral scleral injection and mild anterior chamber reactions. Fundus examinations showed bilateral serous retinal detachments in the macular area. In both patients, diffuse multifocal leaking and pooling were found at the macula in the early and late phase fluorescein angiography, respectively. On the B-mode ultrasounds and orbital images (MRI or CT), scleral thickening with retention of subtenons fluid were found. There were no systemic diseases associated with the conditions. We diagnosed the patients with bilateral posterior scleritis and administered systemic steroids. After systemic steroid treatment, all of the symptoms were alleviated. Three months after the regression, bilateral posterior scleritis recurred in patient 2. Oral cyclosporine 100 mg was additionally prescribed in addition to the previous medications that she had taken during her first treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Two young patients diagnosed with posterior scleritis and serous retinal detachment was treated with systemic steroids. With proper examination and treatment, posterior scleritis can be treated with no complications.

A Case of Ciliary Body Tuberculoma Causing Sclera Melting

PURPOSE: To report a case of ciliary body tuberculoma, which induced scleral melting. CASE SUMMARY: A 32-year-old man, who was diagnosed with miliary pulmonary tuberculosis 1 week earlier, presented with a conjunctival injection and mass on his right eye 3 months in duration. On excisional biopsy, melted sclera and exposed uveal tissue were found; acid-fast stain was positive. Two months after anti-tuberculosis treatment, anterior granulomatous uveitis and granuloma formation on the anterior chamber angle developed. A low-dose systemic steroid therapy was added. Six weeks after systemic steroid therapy, anterior uveitis and granuloma on anterior chamber angle disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: We experienced a case of ocular tuberculosis on the ciliary body. A low-dose systemic steroid along with multi-drug anti-tubercular therapy may be an effective treatment of ciliary body tuberculoma.

Chemical Leukoderma Improved by Low-dose Steroid Pulse Therapy

Chemical leukoderma occurs due to the toxic effect of a specific chemical preceding allergic contact dermatitis. The mechanism is either destruction or inhibition of melanocytes by the offending substance. Clinicohistopathologically, no absolute criteria can differentiate chemical leukoderma from vitiligo. However, chemical leukoderma can be diagnosed clinically by a history of repeated exposure to a known or suspected depigmenting agent at the primary site. There is no agreed treatment guideline for chemical leukoderma. We report a healthy 51-year-old man who had multiple hypopigmented macules and patches on his face, neck, arms and legs after exposure to occupationally related chemicals. The lesions were recalcitrant to topical corticosteroids, but they showed much improvement after 3 cycles of systemic steroid pulse therapy. We suggest this therapy may be a good treatment option for chemical leukoderma.

A Case of Churg-Strauss Syndrome Associated with Small Bowel Perforationfollowing High Dose Systemic Steroid Intravenous Injection / 대한피부과학회지

Churg-Strauss syndrome is an uncommon disorder characterized by bronchial asthma or allergic rhinitis, peripheral eosinophilia, systemic necrotizing vasculitis, and extravascular granuloma formation. It commonly affects the lungs, skin, gastrointestinal tract, peripheral nerve, kidneys and the heart. Gastrointestinal symptoms of Churg-Strauss syndrome are common, mainly shown in abdominal pain, diarrhea, or bleeding. Ulceration, perforation, stenosis can occurr with ischemia induced by vasculitis. Gastrointestinal perforation by Churg-Strauss syndrome has been reported rarely, and was recently discovered to have a close correlation to systemic steroid treatment. Nearly one third of patients infected with a gastrointestinal perforation die. This report covers the interesting case of a 54 year-old woman who was being treated for asthma, and was diagnosed as Churg-Strauss syndrome by multiple polyneuropathy and ulcerative macules. Small intestine perforation was generated 4 days after high dose systemic steroid intravenous injection.

The Effect of Systemic Steroid Therapy on Dry Eye in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantated Patients

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of systemic steroid therapy on the development of dry eye syndrome (DES) in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) resulting from hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in hematologic malignancy (HM) patients. METHODS: We analyzed 108 HSCT patients. We measured tear film break up time (BUT) and basal tear secretion, and checked for corneal lesions. BUT under 10 seconds and basal tear secretion under 10 mm gave a diagnosis of DES. Significant corneal lesions were also described in this gorup. We compared the clinical aspect and frequency of dry eye according to GVHD and also compared clinical aspects of dry eye in GVHD patients before and after systemic steroid therapy. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients (51.9%) developed GVHD, including 51 patients (91.1%) in the GVHD group and 31 patients (59.6%) in the non-GVHD group. The frequency of DES was statistically significant in the GVHD group (p0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The severity and frequency of DES were high in the GVHD group. At the same time, systemic steroid therapy could relieve DES in GVHD patients. Therefore, proper medical treatment and ocular examinations should be performed for HSCT patients.

Pyomyositis Developed during Systemic Steroid Therapy for Cutaneous Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis / 대한피부과학회지

Pyomyositis is an acute, suppurative bacterial infection of striated muscle. It occurs primarily, and not from contiguous infection. It is considered rare in temperate climates. There has been no report of pyomyositis in the Korean dermatologic literature to date. We report a case of pyomyositis which developed in a 53-year-old male. The patient was admitted for the treatment of cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis on his entire body. He was treated with oral corticosteroids for approximately three weeks. The skin condition did show improvement; however, the patient developed a persistent fever and a newly-found mass on the right upper back. The mass was diagnosed as an abscess, replacing the striated muscles of the back by sono-guided needle aspiration. After surgical intervention and IV antibiotic treatment, the symptoms and mass on the back disappeared. We speculate that the underlying skin condition and long-term use of oral corticosteroids predisposed the patient to pyomyositis.

A Case of Successful Combination Therapy of Systemic Steroid and Topical 0.03% Tacrolimus for Pyoderma Gangrenosum in a Patient with Myelodysplastic Syndrome / 대한피부과학회지

Pyoderma gangrenosum is one of the neutrophilic dermatoses, which is usually related to many systemic diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases, hematologic diseases, etc. Its typical clinical feature is usually a solitary, painful, margin-elevated ulcer. We herein report a case of myelodysplastic syndrome-related pyoderma gangrenosum, treated with a combination therapy of systemic steroid and topical 0.03% tacrolimus oint.

Clinical Consideration of Prednisolone Induced Cataract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper was to examine the correlation between the development of posterior subcapsular cataract and the dosage and duration of systemic steroid therapy. METHODS: Twenty-two eyes which underwent cataract surgery at our ophthalmologic department were enrolled, along with 20 randomly selected eyes, which received prednisolone therapy at least for 1 year. We examined prednisolone dosage, duration and systemic disorders. We compare daily prednisolone dosage, and duration between the subcapsular opacity group and the non-subcapsular opacity group. SPSS, with 2 way- ANOVA system, was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The development of posterior subcapsular cataract was correlated with the daily prednisolone dosage, but not with the duration of prednisolone therapy (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Careful attention to the daily steroid dosage is required to prevent posterior subcapsular cataract formation.

The Effect of High Dose Systemic Steroid and its Long-term Usage on the Skin Barrier of Hairless Mice / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Prolonged exposure of topical and systemic corticosteroid to skin can result in well-recognized cutaneous abnormalities including cutaneous atrophy, easy bruisibility, increased skin fragility, and increased risk of infection. Skin barrier impairment is also reported as a steroid-induced side effect. A major function of the skin is the formation of a permeability barrier between the external milieu and the organism. Recent studies have shown that chronic corticosteroid negatively impacts epidermal barrier function. As well as this topical corticosteroid not only has antiproliferative actions but also inhibits the differentiation of the epidermis, resulting in structural defects in the epidermis. OBJECT: We wanted to determine whether high dose systemic steroid injection would display adverse effects, specifically on; epidermal functions, permeability barrier homeostasis and stratum corneum integrity and cohesion. The basis for such changes was also to be determined. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Systemic steroid was administered by injecting each hairless mouse, 8-10 week of age, intraperitoneally with 0.3 mg triamcinolone acetonide, two times per week for five weeks. For the controlled hairless mice, 0.9% normal saline was administered by the same method of injection. Every week, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was checked and skin biopsies were taken. Skin specimens were prepared for electron microscopy using both 0.25% ruthenium tetroxide and 4% osmium tetroxide postfixation. For light microscopy staining hematoxylin-eosin and ion capture cytochemistry was used. RESULTS: The results were as follows; 1. From about 1 week onwards, high dose systemic steroid usage produced visible cutaneous changes and significantly increased the TEWL in the group of 0.3 mg triamcinolone acetate injected hairless mice compared with the control. 2. Light microscopic observations of the steroid-injected hairless mice showed gradual thinning of the epidermis from about 2 weeks onwards, compared with the control. Loss of stratum corneum was also observed in the steroid injected hairless mice. 3. The ruthenium tetroxide staining of high dose systemic steroid treated specimens revealed that the lipid bilayer was impaired and fragmented from about 3 weeks. Intercellular spaces were widened and the lipid bilayer either disappeared or showed damage when compared with the control. 4. From about 3weeks onwards. electron microscopic studies revealed, not only a marked decrease in the number of lamellar bodies, but also an abnormal transformation of lamellar bodies in the steroid injected hairless mice compared with the control. 5. Throughout the five weeks, the calcium gradient gradually disappeared in the 0.3mg triamcinolone injected hairless mice compared with the control. Consequently, high dose systemic steroid use results in barrier dysfunction and morphological abnormalities.

Frosted Branch Angiitis

PURPOSE: Frosted branch angiitis is a rare retinal disease with the characteristic sheathing in the retinal vessels. We report a typical case of this disease. METHODS: A thirty-year-old woman complained of sudden decrease of visual acuity developed in both eyes three days ago. Visual acuity was 0.4 with several inflammatory cells in the anterior chambers of both eyes. There were diffuse vascular sheathing like frosted branch in both retinas. Fluorescein angiogram showed staining and leakage of dye along the vascular sheathing. RESULTS: Visual acuity recovered to 1.0 and retinal findings returned normal 2 weeks after treatment with the low dose of systemic steroid. There was no recurrence during follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Typical frosted branch angiitis occurs suddenly in both eyes of the young, and it responds well to treatment with the low dose of systemic steroid.

Quantitative Evaluation of Efficacy of Systemic Steroid Therapy for the Patients with Olfactory Disturbance / 대한이비인후과학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study quantifies the efficacy of a short-term systemic steroid therapy in the patients with anosmia or hyposmia using the butanol threshold test (BTT) and the visual analogue scale (VAS). MATERIALS AND METHOD: Thirty patients with anosmia or hyposmia were included in this study from June 1996 through April 1997. The patients were divided into inflammatory and noninflammatory groups depending on the etiology. We evaluated the patients before and after the systemic steroid admi-nistration using both BTT and VAS. RESULTS: Overall improvements of olfactory function was observed upto 70% by BTT and 53% by VAS, and the therapeutic effect of steroid on olfactory malfunction was statistically significant (p=0.0001). Improvements in the olfaction was measured by BTT, which correlated strongly with the measurements by VAS with statistical significance (r=0.77578, p=0.0001). The inflammatory group showed better steroid response (83%) than the noninflammatory group (61%), but there was no statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The systemic steroid administration may be effective in the treatment of olfactory disturbance with a good correlation between BTT and VAS.