No Epidermis: Is it the drug, COVID-19 or Something Else?

Summary@#Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a clinical disease with acute onset of fever, rash, hypotension and multi-organ system involvement. Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS), mostly described in neonate and children, is a superficial blistering disease caused by the exfoliative toxin of specific strains of Staphylococcus aureus. TSS and SSSS rarely occur concurrently in adults. We here describe a 35-year-old woman who was initially referred to dermatology team as toxic epidermal necrolysis. She presented with a rapid epidermal detachment without mucosal involvement, fever and shock, associated with acute kidney injury and transaminitis, severe metabolic acidosis, complicated by COVID-19 infection, and finally succumbed within 36 hours of hospitalization. Early recognition and prompt treatment are the key factors in the management as TSS itself can lead to mortality. Staphylococcal TSS and SSSS are important differential diagnosis to consider in acute epidermal detachment, as not all cases are drug-induced.

Not all swellings are lymph nodes! A case of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma

@#Subcutaneous Panniculitis-like T-cell Lymphoma (SPTL) is a rare cutaneous neoplasm of mature cytotoxic T cells, first described in 1991 by Gonzalez et al. 1 The incidence of SPTL in Asian countries ranges from 2.3% to 3%. In Malaysia, only 5 cases were reported from 2001 to 2004 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2 SPTL typically presents as skincoloured or erythematous subcutaneous nodules, most often on the extremities and trunk, but it can also involve the face, back and neck. Diagnosis of SPTL is made based on correlation of clinical findings and subcutaneous tissue biopsy along with immunohistochemical staining patterns