ABSTRACT
Skin necrosis must be considered as a syndrome, because it is a clinical manifestation of different diseases. An early diagnosis is very important to choose the appropriate treatment. Therefore, its causes should be suspected and confirmed quickly. We report eleven patients with skin necrosis seen at our Department, caused by different etiologies: Warfarin-induced skin necrosis, loxoscelism, diabetic microangiopathy, ecthyma gangrenosum, disseminated intravascular coagulation, necrotizing vasculitis, paraneoplastic extensive necrotizing vasculitis, livedoid vasculopathy, necrotizing fasciitis, necrosis secondary to the use of vasoactive drugs and necrosis secondary to the use of cocaine. We also report the results of our literature review on the subject.
Subject(s)
Skin Diseases/pathology , Skin/pathology , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Necrosis/etiology , Skin Diseases/etiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Scleromyxedema is a rare generalized form of lichen myxedematosus, a chronic cutaneous mucinosis of unknown etiology usually associated with a monoclonal gammopathy and underlying systemic disorders. It is characterized by the presence of lichenoid papules and diffuse indurations of the skin. Histologically, mucin deposits are observed in the dermis as variable degrees of fibrosis. Numerous treatment modalities have been reported as producing partial or inconsistent responses associated with significant adverse effects. METHODS: We report an unusual case of scleromyxedema not associated with monoclonal gammopathy in a young patient who was treated with thalidomide. RESULTS: Patient remained stable with maintenance of injuries despite treatment with thalidomide. CONCLUSIONS: Scleromyxedema is a rare presentation for which a defined therapeutic regimen remains to be established. Treatment with thalidomide has proved to be effective in the management of these patients. We suggest that these patients should be followed up with periodic protein electrophoresis with immunofixation for a monoclonal component in blood and urine. As the therapeutic approach to scleromyxedema remains challenging and treatment is based on symptomatic presentation, further clinical studies to substantiate an effective therapeutic regimen with a positive long-term safety and risk profile are required.
Subject(s)
Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Scleromyxedema/blood , Scleromyxedema/drug therapy , Thalidomide/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Humans , Male , Paraproteinemias/blood , Scleromyxedema/pathologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The use of tattoos and piercings has increased, especially among adolescents in the last decades. AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of these behaviors in adolescents and their association with risk behaviors such as alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use and sexual promiscuity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An anonymous and confidential survey about tattooing and piercings was applied to randomly selected high school teenagers, attending municipal, private-subsidized and private schools, in four sectors of Santiago (north-east, south-east, north-west, south-west). RESULTS: The surveys were answered by 1329 participants with a mean age of 15 years (62% women) from 9 schools in Santiago. The prevalence of tattoos was 1.7% (confidence intervals (CI) 1.1% to 2.5%). The figure for piercings was 30.6% (CI 28.2 to 33.1%). A higher prevalence of tattooing and piercings was observed in groups with a history of psychiatric disorders, criminal records, alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug consumption and initiation of sexual activity (p < 0,001). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that tattoos and piercings are indicators of adolescent risk behaviors.
