Frequency of dyslipidemia in patients with psoriasis

To determine the frequency of dyslipidaemia in psoriatic patients. A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Dermatology, Jinnah hospital, Lahore for the duration of six months. A total of 120 patients suffering from psoriasis, of any severity, belonging to either sex and with age between 15-70 years were included in the study. All patients in the study were investigated for total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins after 12-14 hours of overnight fasting. The mean age of the patients was 38.59 +/- 13.86 years. There were 78 [65%] male and 42 [35%] female patients. The mean duration of psoriasis was 5.46 +/- 4.49 years. The mean PASI score was 14.98 +/- 8.95. There were 67 [55.8%] patients having dyslipidaemia and 53 [44.2%] patients had normal lipid levels. 34 [28.3%] patients had raised total cholesterol [>200mg/dl], 32 [26.7%] raised low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol [>130 mg/dl], 44 [36.7%] hypertriglyceridemia [>150mg/dl] and 35 [29.2%] patients had reduced high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol [> 130 mg/di], 44 [36.7%] hypetriglycerideia [> 150 mg/d] and35 [29.2%] patients had reduced high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels [< 40 mg/dl] it is concluded from this study that patients of psoriasis have a high incidence of dyslipidaemia, as it was found in 55.8% of psoriasis patients

Herpes zoster in children

To study the epidemiology and clinical features of childhood herpes zoster. The study was carried out from March 2008 till February 2012. Forty two cases of herpes zoster in children less than 12 years of age were enrolled from the outpatient departments of Lahore General Hospital and Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Patients were subjected to detailed history, physical examination and relevant investigations. Out of 42 patients with herpes zoster, 57.1% were males and 42.9% were females. The mean age was 8 years with an age range of 18 days to 12 years. In most patients a single dermatome was involved [69%] and thoracic dermatome was involved in the majority [40.4%]. The most common symptom was pruritus in 52%, followed by pain in 12%. A positive history of previous exposure to varicella was present in 31% patients only, and out of these 61% were exposed before the age of two years. Six patients gave history of chickenpox in mother during pregnancy. Majority of patients i.e. 83.3% showed no evidence of immunosuppression on history, examination and investigations. Three patients were anti-HCV positive [7.1%], two [4.6%] had tuberculosis, one [2.3%] patient was taking steroids and one [2.3%] was diagnosed as leukemia. Most of the children with herpes zoster had no obvious evidence of immunosuppression. History of previous exposure to varicella was found in only 31% with majority being exposed below two years of age. Herpes zoster is a relatively mild disease in children with pruritus being the main symptom in 52% and pain occurred in only 12% of cases.

Necrolytic acral erythema: an unusual cutaneous presentation of hepatitis C virus infection

Necrolytic acral erythema [NAE] is a newly recognized dermatosis which has been regarded as early cutaneous marker of hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection. It presents as a well demarcated, dusky, symmetrically distributed erythematous to violaceous eruption with marked hyperkeratosis and lichenification associated with pruritus or burning on the dorsal aspects of feet extending to the toes. It shows clinical and histopathological resemblance to other necrolytic erythemas. We report a case of a-55-year-old woman with itchy hyperpigmented papules and plaques on the feet for the last 6 months. Histopathology showed the features of necrolytic acral erythema

Cutaneous manifestations in patients of dengue fever

To observe the spectrum of cutaneous changes in patients of dengue fever. The study was carried out from April 2010 till October 2011. Three hundred cases of dengue fever were enrolled from the outpatient and inpatient departments of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. Patients meeting the inclusion criteria were subjected to detailed history, physical examination and relevant investigations. The data was recorded on a pro forma and later analyzed. Out of 300 patients with dengue fever, 67.3% were males and 32.7% were females. The mean age was 35 years with an age range of 2 to 80 years. Cutaneous manifestations were present in 65% of patients. Commonest skin manifestation was pruritus which was present in 69.2% patients. This was followed by burning of extremities which was present in 64.6% patients. A skin rash was present in 42.9% patients. This rash was macular in 31.7% and papular in 11.2% patients. A petechial eruption was seen in 20% patients, while ecchymosis was seen in 13.8% patients. Mucosal involvement was seen in 40.66% patients. Skin manifestations are a common feature of dengue fever and were seen in 65% of our patients

Frequency of mucocutaneous manifestations in HIV positive Pakistani patients

Mucocutaneous manifestations are commonly observed in HIV patients. These range from various opportunistic infections, inflammatory dermatoses to neoplasms and drug reactions. To observe the nature and frequency of mucocutaneous manifestations in patients of HIV, with or without antiretroviral therapy and their correlation with CD4 cell counts. The duration of study was one year, starting from July 2009 to July 2010. The patients were enrolled from the HIV clinic and inpatient departments of Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were subjected to a detailed history and clinical examination. Investigations were carried out where required. Treatment profile was also noted. The data was recorded on a pro forma and was analyzed later. A total of sixty two patients were enrolled in the study. There were 49 [79%] males and 13 [21%] females. The age range was 4 to 58 years. Cutaneous manifestations were seen in 51 [82%] patients. The most common cutaneous findings were fungal infections seen in 33.87% patients, followed by viral infections [29.03%], xerosis [22.58%] and bacterial infections [12.9%]. Less common manifestations were photosensitivity, scabies and hyperpigmentation. CD4 cell count was found to be more than 455xl0[9]/ in 22 patients while it was less than 455xl0[9]/in 40 patients. Skin manifestations were found in 19 [86.36%] patients with a high count and in 33 [82.5%] patients with a low count. Cutaneous manifestations are commonly seen in patients of HIV infection

Cornelia de Lange syndrome - a cause of hypertrichosis in children: case report and review of literature

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is a rare developmental disorder characterized by hypertrichosis, low intelligence, delayed milestones and skeletal and dental abnormalities. Gastroesophageal dysfunction, ophthalmologic, cardiac and genitourinary anomalies, learning difficulties, and mental retardation may be present in severe cases. We report a case of this syndrome who presented for laser treatment for the problem of hypertrichosis, and on examination other features of the syndrome were noted

Frequency of sensitivity to Parthenium hysterophorus in patients with chronic extensive eczematous eruption

Eczema is a pruritic skin disorder of exogenous or endogenous nature. Allergic contact dermatitis is of exogenous nature and can be caused by many allergens including plants. In this quasi-experimental study, 50 patients presenting with extensive eczematous eruption were enrolled. They were patch tested with fresh crushed extract of flowers of Parthenium hysterophorus. Three patch test readings were taken at 48 hours, 72 hours and 120 hours. Patch test readings were read according to ICDRG criteria. Forty four [88%] out of 50 enrolled patients were male while 6 [12%] were female with male to female ratio of 7.3:1. Average age of the patients was 56.8 years with S.D +/- 12.6 years. Fifty four percent of enrolled patients showed positive patch test reactions to fresh crushed extract of flowers of P. hysterophorus with a male to female ratio of 5.7:1. P. hysterophorus is a leading cause of extensive eczematous eruption of exogenous type in a specific group of patients

Werner syndrome: a case report and review of literature

Werner's syndrome is a rare inherited disorder characterized by short stature, sclerosed skin, cataract and premature aging of the face. The disease involves multiple systems of the body and some of the abnormalities may cause life threatening complications such as myocardial infarction and malignancy. We report a case of this rare disorder

Role of systemic steroids in the outcome of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis

Stevens-Johnson syndrome [SJS] and toxic epidermal necrolysis [TEN] are cutaneous adverse reactions which usually develop as a result of drug therapy. The role of systemic steroids in the treatment of SJS and TEN is debatable. To see the clinical outcome of patients suffering from SJS or TEN, treated with or without steroids. Forty patients of SJS and TEN were enrolled from the inpatient department of Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Clinical data were recorded on a pro forma. Clinical outcome of patients treated with or without steroids was recorded and analyzed. A total of forty patients were enrolled in the study. Twenty nine patients were suffering from SJS and 11 were suffering from TEN. Twenty three patients of SJS [79.31%] were treated without steroids. Two patients died [8.7%] and twenty one [91.30%] recovered. Six patients were given steroids [20.68%], out of these 2 [33.3%] died and 4 [66.76%] recovered. There were eleven patients of TEN, four [36.37%] were managed without steroids, one expired [25%] and rest of the three [75%] patients recovered. Seven [63.63%] patients were given steroids, three [43.86%] patients expired while four [57.14%] recovered

case of Kindler syndrome with florid scarbies

Kindler syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by congenital blistering and photosensitivity combined with progressive poikiloderma and cutaneous atrophy. The genetic defect has been localized to chromosome 20 and the syndrome results due to mutations in the KIND 1 gene. We report the case of a 12-year-old boy with classical features of blistering since infancy, progressive poikiloderma, photosensitivity and characteristic atrophic cigarette paper-like appearance of the skin. In addition he had florid scabies with quite a few burrows on palms and in finger webs and numerous popular and pustular lesions on trunk and genitalia

Black dot tinea affecting the eyebrows in an adult female

Tinea capitis is the invasion of the hair by dermatophytic species. It is predominantly an infection of children, although adult cases have been reported particularly with Trichophyton tonsurans. We report an adult female patient with black dot variety of tinea capitis involving the eyebrows along with scalp, body and nails

Scleromyxedema in an HCV-positive male

Scleromyxedema is rare chronic cutaneous mucinosis usually associated with a monoclonal gammopathy and underlying systemic disease. We report a 42-year-old male who developed scleromyxedema and was also HCV positive