ABSTRACT
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients diagnosed with AA at different hospitals. A total of 211 patients were included in the investigation between November 2021 and June 2022. The participants were subjected to a well-structured, Arabic-based, validated questionnaire. Results: More than half of the patients were men (54.0%) and single (50.7%). The most common age groups were 30 to 44 years (46.9%) and 18 to 29 years (36.0%). More than two-thirds of the participants (67.8%) had heard of AA before their diagnosis. Of these, the level of knowledge was low among 36.4%, medium among 42.0%, and high among 21.7%. Most of the patients believed that AA may be caused by genetic, nutritional, or health factors (77.3%) and that it is a serious health problem that necessitates treatment (64.0%). The most common psychological attributes caused by AA are feeling ashamed in front of other individuals (63.0%), anxiety (47.9%), and depression (36.0%). Conclusion: Our results show more than two-thirds of the participants were knowledgeable about AA. Most believed that the cause of AA is genetic, nutritional, or health factors and suffered negative psychological effects. According to our study, high levels of anxiety and depression are closely associated with AA patients, which affect their quality of life.
ABSTRACT
Eccrine poroma (EP) is a benign adnexal tumor that is derived from acrosyringium, the intraepidermal eccrine duct of sweat glands. The standard treatment for eccrine poroma is complete excision. However, this case report highlights cryotherapy as one of the modalities in treating eccrine poroma. We present a case of a 33-year-old male patient who was a known case of generalized vitiligo since he was nine years old. During our skin checkup before starting him on phototherapy, we found a mass over the palmar aspect of the middle finger of the right hand that started to appear five years ago. The mass gradually increased in size, was painless, has no discharge, and was not associated with a history of trauma or infection. The review of systems was unremarkable. Skin examination revealed an asymptomatic, 2.0 × 1.5 cm-sized, solitary, collarette-encircled, dome-shaped, flesh-colored, non-pigmented, deep-red nodule protrusion from the palmar aspect of the middle finger of the right hand. Poroma was considered as the diagnosis, and a punch skin biopsy was performed to confirm the diagnosis and to roll out pyogenic granuloma, amelanotic melanoma, and porocarcinoma as differential diagnoses. A 3 mm punch skin biopsy was performed under local anesthesia and was found to be histologically consistent with eccrine poroma. Hence, cryosurgery was chosen based on histological favorable features. We used cryospray in a single session of 15 seconds in three applications, with five-second intervals in between (skin frosting recovery). Furthermore, the lesion was completely curative with a single session of cryotherapy. The patient followed up for one year without evidence of recurrence.
ABSTRACT
Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a common chronic disorder that is characterized by velvety-like, hyperpigmented, hyperkeratotic plaques, typically in intertriginous areas. However, atypical presentations have been reported. Here we present a five-year-old boy presented with a one-year history of asymptomatic slowly progressing skin lesions. He is a known case of type 1 diabetes mellites on insulin treatment, otherwise healthy. The review of systems was unremarkable. No similar case was found in the family. Skin examination revealed multiple tiny non-scaly brownish papules on the medial aspects of the upper thighs, bilaterally. Differential diagnosis included skin tags, viral warts, and dermatosis papulose nigra (DPN). Dermoscopic findings revealed a velvety-like appearance on the papules and the normal skin surrounding the papules. A 2-mm punch skin biopsy of the papule revealed papillomatosis of the epidermis, and the granular layer was normal. The dermis was normal. On the basis of the above clinicopathological findings, specifically the velvety texture of the normal skin surrounding the papules, the patient was diagnosed with ANs. The parent was reassured, and we started the patient on daily tretinoin cream.
ABSTRACT
The febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease is a rare and potentially lethal variant of pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA). It is characterized by a sudden onset of ulceronecrotic skin lesions associated with high fever and systemic symptoms. Herein, we report a 23-year-old male, not known to have any medical illnesses, presented with a month-long history of persistent fever of unknown origin associated with a sudden onset of progressive diffuse necrotic ulcers and widespread papulosquamous lesions. Pan CT showed enlarged lymph nodes in the cervix, chest, and abdomen. Unfortunately, a skin biopsy was done late, showing features consistent with PLEVA. Few days after admission, despite being on intravenous methylprednisolone, our patient rapidly deteriorated by showing severe acute respiratory symptoms and consequently died. In spite of the continuous addition of new case reports to the literature, no definite diagnostic criteria have been established, leading to late or missed cases, and an optimum treatment is still waiting.