[Familial psoriasis: descriptive report of 9 families]

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. The familial nature of psoriasis has long been recognized. Our study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and genetic features of familial psoriasis. Through a prospective study we investigated during a study period of 1 year [2006-2007] 9 Tunisian unrelated multiplex families. Patients with psoriasis and their available family members were examined by the same dermatologist. Thirty nine individual presented psoriasis [25 men and 4 women], with a mean age at onset about 19.8 years. With the systematic exam of member's family we discover 11 cases of unknown psoriasis. The common form of psoriasis was the preponderant one [37 cases]. The nails, the scalp, the mucous membranes were involved respectively in 21, 12 and 13 cases. The psoriasis was severe in 11 cases. Through this study we find similar epidemiological and clinical features of those reported previously. The intra and inter-familial variability was evident in our patients

[Pulmonary tuberculosis associated with cutaneous and mediastinal sarcoidosis - a case report]

The association of sarcoidosis and tuberculosis is rare and its differentiation is sometimes very difficult. We report a case of a 49 years woman presenting insidious erythematous and nodular lesions of the face that histologically revealed non caseating granulomas of the dermis and diagnosed as cutaneous sarcoidosis. We have concomitantly diagnosed evolutive pulmonary and nasal tuberculosis treated during 2 months with isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamid and streptomycin and for 6 months with isoniazid and rifampicin. The evolution of nasal obstruction was favorable and pulmonary bacteriologic examination was negative at two months treatment but mediastinal adenopathy and cutaneous lesions were unchanged. The patient was treated with Isotretinoin 60 mg daily during 6 months inducing regression of cutaneous lesions but adenopathy still unchanged. At 8-months follow-up the patient is still free of cutaneous recurrence. In our patient cutaneous sarcoidosis appeared concomitantly with evolutive tuberculosis raising further questions about the role of mycobacterium in causing this granulomatous disorder. In addition cutaneous nodules responded to isotretinoin suggesting that this drug can be useful in cutaneous sarcoidosis

Etude analytique des theses en dermato-venereologie sontenues dans les facultes Tunisiennes de medecine de 1971 a 1992

The study of 235 thesis in dermatology and venereology presented in the Tunisian faculties of medicine from 1971 to 1992 has permit to us to note: - a disproportion between the trated themes and the frequence of these pathologies. - a failure in the method of the study for som thesis. - and to advance some recommendations for a better exploitation of these thesis