A rare cutaneous manifestation of Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the second common vasculitis in childhood following Henoch-Schönlein purpura. The common skin manifestations in KD are polymorphic exanthema, epidermal desquamation, erythema of the palms and soles and edema over the extremities. Skin erythema at the Bacille-Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination site has been reported frequently in patients with KD. Skin ulceration after BCG vaccination in a context of KD was also reported but not as a part of the disease manifestation. We report a 14-month-old child who presented with clinical criteria for KD and developed left forearm ulcer that did not respond to antimicrobial therapy but responded well to immunomodulatory therapy.

Limited auricular relapsing polychondritis in a child treated successfully with infliximab.

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare progressive and destructive multisystem disorder characterised by recurrent inflammation of cartilaginous structures. It is a rare disease in paediatrics compared with adults. In children, the diagnosis is either delayed or overlooked due to low incidence. Auricular chondritis has been described in more than half of paediatric cases with RP. However, isolated auricular chondritis has not been reported as the only presentation of pediatric-onset RP. We described a lad who presented with isolated auricular chondritis, which is refractory to conventional treatment, including glucocorticoids and methotrexate as steroid-sparing agent. Remission of his disease's relapses was sustained with infliximab. Limited auricular involvement as a presenting feature of RP in the absence of systemic association is very rare in children. We describe a case of successful use of infliximab on limited auricular chondritis disease.

Severe desquamation in Kawasaki disease: Is it somehow protective?

Kawasaki disease is a common vasculitis that typically affects children between one and five years of age. We report a 12-year-old boy who presented following a presumed diagnosis of pharyngitis associated with nondesquamating skin rash and conjunctivitis. Despite treatment with amoxicillin for seven days his fever persisted for ten days and then remitted. Two weeks later, he developed full thickness extensive desquamation of his palms and soles that mandated a visit to emergency department in our tertiary health centre. Physical examination revealed full thickness desquamation of his palms and soles with absence of erythema or swelling and he had unremarkable systemic examination. Laboratory tests showed thrombocytosis and high erythrocytes sedimentation rate. Throat culture and Anti-streptolysin-O titer were negative. Aspirin, anti-platelets dose, was initiated. Echocardiography was performed in the first visit and repeated three times later: at four weeks, six weeks and at three months of the illness revealing normal coronary arteries. Follow up complete blood count and sedimentation rate were normal after six weeks, therefore, aspirin was discontinued. Full thickness desquamation, not as it would be expected, might be somehow protective against the involvement of coronary arteries in Kawasaki disease.