Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis among Korean Adults Visiting Health Service Center of the Catholic Medical Center in Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea

The point prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) among Korean adults visiting the Health Service Center for health check-ups was assessed. AD was diagnosed based on the questionnaires filled by patients and through physical examination by dermatologists. A total of 3,563 persons completed the questionnaires, and 2,032 persons were examined by the dermatologists. According to the questionnaires, the prevalence of AD was 7.1%, and from the dermatologists' examination, it was 2.6% overall, which decreased with age significantly. The prevalence in men was higher than that of women. Grading the severity of AD according to their eczema area and severity index scores, 70.6% were classified as being mild, 25.5% moderate, and 3.9% severe. Interestingly, concomitance of psoriasis and AD was found in 0.5% of those examined by the dermatologists. Our results suggest that AD is one of the most common skin diseases not only in children but also in adults in Korea.

A Case of Scalp Metastasis from Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma / 대한피부과학회지

Cutaneous metastases from follicular thyroid carcinoma are extremely rare. A 59-year-old woman presented with a 1 month history of a slowly enlarging scalp nodule. Ten years earlier, the patient had been received total thyroidectomy for anterior neck mass, and diagnosed as poorly differentiated follicular thyroid carcinoma. The patient had developed pulmonary metastases 4 years after the initial surgery and concurrent chemotherapy. A biopsy from the scalp nodule showed an intradermal tumor composed of mostly thyroid follicular structures with colloid material. The tumor cells were monomorphic with scant pale cytoplasm and uniform nuclei, and stained positive for thyroid transcription factor-1 and thyroglobulin. We report a cutaneous metastasis from the follicular thyroid carcinoma as a rare case.

A Case of Steatocystoma Multiplex Limited to the Scalp

We report here on a 63-year-old woman who had several small, yellowish papules on the scalp for the previous 2 years. There was no family history of similar lesions. Yellowish, creamy material was expressed from a papule during punch biopsy. Histologic examination from the lesion revealed the typical features of steatocystoma multiplex. We report here on this rare variant of steatocystoma multiplex that was limited to the scalp.

A Case of Areolar Sebaceous Hyperplasia / 대한피부과학회지

Sebaceous hyperplasia commonly occurs on the face and occasionally on the neck. The other less common sites include the penis, vulva and areola. The typical clinical features are 2~3 mm sized, creamy or yellowish, umbilicated papules. Histopathologically, a number of mature sebaceous lobules connected to the centrally-located dilated sebaceous ducts are grouped in the upper dermis and they are associated with hair follicles. We report here on a case of a 52-year-old woman who had a solitary, 3 mm-sized papule on the areola, and the papule's histopathologic findings showed numerous mature sebaceous lobules surrounding wide sebaceous ducts.

A Case of Amelanotic Subungual Melanoma

Amelanotic subungual melanoma is a rare dermatosis, and it is frequently misdiagnosed probably because of its nonspecific clinical features. We herein report on a case of amelanotic subungual melanoma extended to the adjacent skin in a 36-year-old Korean woman. This case is interesting in that clinically, it needed differentiation from Bowen's disease, lichen planus, sarcoidosis, etc. and very early invading features of the melanoma were observed on the histopathologic section.

A Case of Solitary Papular Angiokeratoma with Transepidermal Elimination / 대한피부과학회지

Transepidermal elimination is a well known phenomenon describing cases where foreign materials or altered dermal constituents are removed from dermis through epidermis. The phenomenon of transepidermal elimination may occur as a primary process or as a secondary process. A 36-year-old women presented with three black papules on the ventral side of her right second toe for 1 year. Because of poliomyelitis, the lesion had been irritated repeatedly. The histopathology of the lesion showed solitary papular angiokeratoma with transepidermal elimination. In this case, we postulated that transepidermal elimination of this case could have developed through repetitive physical trauma.

A Case of Acute Follicular Graft versus Host Reaction / 대한피부과학회지

Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a life threatening complication of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. It is important to recognize the dermatologic manifestations of acute GVHD, as skin is often the initial organ of involvement. The rash typically is a blanchable, erythematous macular eruption. We present a case of acute follicular graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) characterized by erythematous to violaceous follicular papular eruption clinically and follicular epithelial dyskeratosis histopathologically. Although acute follicular GVHR is rare, it is important to recognize it as an early skin manifestation of acute cutaneous GVHR allowing prompt therapy.

A Case of Premature Sebaceous Hyperplasia of the Neck in a Linear Pattern / 대한피부과학회지

Premature sebaceous hyperplasia generally appears at puberty and it tends to become worse with age. The clinical appearance of premature sebaceous hyperplasia consists of scattered or sometimes confluent umbilicated papules or plaques with a selective location on the face, neck and upper thorax. The histological findings are the same as those of senile sebaceous hyperplasia. The findings reveal a group of mature sebaceous lobules and central sebaceous ducts. We report here on an unusual case of a 10-year old female patient with premature sebaceous hyperplasia. The lesions presented clinically as yellowish, umbilicated papules in a linear pattern on the right side of the neck.

A Case of Cellular Angiolipoma / 대한피부과학회지

Cellular angiolipomas are fatty tumors that occur as multiple painful subcutaneous nodules on the trunk and arms of young male adults. Although clinically benign, they may occasionally mimic Kaposi's sarcoma or angiosarcoma histiogically. Encapsulation, septation, small size, endothelial cells without atypia, intravascular microthrombi, and clinical presentation in healthy individuals help to exclude a malignant diagnosis. We report a case of cellular angiolipoma on the extremities and trunk of a 19-year-old man. Histopathological findings showed well-circumscribed tumor composed of vascular endothelial cells and spindle cells forming vascular spaces intermingled with scattered adipocytes. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated reactivities for endothelial and muscle markers, highlighting the obscured angiomatous component in the cellular areas of the tumor.

A Case of Argyria / 대한피부과학회지

Argyria is a rare skin discoloration caused by the deposition of silver granules in the skin. We report a case of argyria occurring in a 46-year-old woman due to ingestion of colloidal silver solution over 2 years. She had a diffuse, slate gray discoloration on her face and hands. The biopsy specimen from the face revealed melanin hyperpigmentation in the epidermal basal layer. Numerous, round, tiny brown-black granules were deposited in the basement membrane surrounding eccrine glands. Silver solution is being advertised as a cure for a variety of diseases and is commercially available as a 'food supplement'. This case report highlights the potential risk of adverse effects following the use of food supplements.