A new gastrointestinal finding in Proteus syndrome: report of a case of multiple colonic hemangiomas.

A patient with Proteus syndrome presented with lower gastrointestinal bleeding due to multiple colonic hemangiomas, a finding which has not been described previously in this syndrome. The patient was a 20-year-old man with features fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for Proteus syndrome. He fulfilled both general criteria (mosaic distribution of the lesions, progressive course and sporadic occurrence) and specific criteria (including epidermal nevus, disproportionate overgrowth of limbs and vascular malformations). Fiberoptic colonoscopy revealed multiple hemangiomas, 0.5-1 cm in diameter, on the left side of the colon. Some gastrointestinal complications have been reported in patients with Proteus syndrome, including rectal polyps, colonic lipomatosis, atrophy of the intestinal villi and intestinal affection with fatty wall thickening but, as far as we are aware, colonic hemangiomas have not previously been reported in this syndrome.

The relationship between lichen planus and hepatitis C in dermatology outpatients in Kerman, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Lichen planus (LP) is classified as a papulosquamous disease. It has been associated with liver disease, particularly hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, in several studies. Most of these reports, especially the larger series, were conducted in Europe and Japan. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a case-control study in Kerman, Iran to explore the association between LP and HCV. METHODS: The study included 66 patients with LP (as cases; mean age = 39.7 +/- 15.8 years; 31 female, 35 male) and 140 volunteer blood donors (as controls; mean age = 29.5 +/- 8.4 years; 43 females, 97 males). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the presence of anti-HCV antibodies in all subjects in both groups. To confirm positive diagnoses, a second generation recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA II) test was performed. RESULTS: Lichen planus lesions were most frequently located on the trunk and extremities, and the most common clinical type was generalized LP (48.5%). One of the patients with LP (1.5%) and three of the controls (2.1%) were HCV-Ab positive. No significant difference was observed in HCV-Ab positive between the two groups (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.1-6.9). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that an investigation for HCV infection should not necessarily be performed in all patients with LP. It is recommended that further studies should focus on larger groups in other regions of Iran to determine whether testing for HCV infection is necessary in patients with LP.