ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: An intermittent short course of cyclosporin A (CyA) therapy is a good choice in the treatment of severe psoriasis. Nevertheless, some severe or resistant patients might benefit from long-term treatment. Adverse effects of long-term use of CyA are investigated and the results are compared with the literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of adverse effects of CyA treatment in a group of 53 patients suffering from psoriasis. The mean treatment time was 31.4 +/- 23.2 months with a minimum of 4 months to a maximum of 95 months, with very few short interruptions of treatment (from 2 to 5 months in five patients). RESULTS: The group consisted of 29 women and 24 men, ranging in age from 18 to 65 years, with an average age of 44.49 years. Arterial hypertension appeared in 45.3% of patients during treatment. Pharmacological treatment was required in 32% of these patients to control the condition. Serum creatinine levels were transiently elevated in 11.3% of the cases, but withdrawal of treatment was required in none of them. DISCUSSION: Long-term CyA treatment might be necessary in some patients and this study shows that it could be sustained with a close follow-up. This involves regular visits depending on each patient, as well as common test protocol and clinical evaluation. In conclusion, this retrospective study seems to confirm the relative safety of long-term CyA treatment when patients are adequately monitored.
Subject(s)
Cyclosporine/therapeutic use , Dermatologic Agents/therapeutic use , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Psoriasis/drug therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Chronic Disease , Cyclosporine/adverse effects , Dermatologic Agents/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Immunosuppressive Agents/adverse effects , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
El conocimiento y correcto empleo de las diferentes técnicas de radioterapia suponen una gran ayuda en el manejo de los pacientes con carcinomas basocelulares. En nuestro Servicio continuamos empleando la técnica de radioterapia de contacto para estas neoplasias en un número elevado de enfermos. Hemos recogido los datos referentes a los tumores tratados durante los años 1997, 1998 y 1999, un total de 279, y hemos analizado los datos epidemiológicos de la muestra, edad, sexo y fototipo, así como tamaño, tipo clínico, localización, cicatrización y recidivas de los tumores. Empleamos una técnica desarrollada por nuestro equipo, consistente en tres sesiones de 10 Gy, hasta un total de 30 Gy, lo cual supone un buen balance entre la comodidad del enfermo y los resultados médicos en tasas de curación y resultado estético de las cicatrices. Los pacientes tratados fueron en su mayoría de pelo oscuro en la edad adulta y ojos claros. Hemos tratado lesiones de 0,5 a 3,5 cm de diámetro con un 5% de recidivas y un 22,3% de cicatrices imperceptibles (AU)
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Basal Cell/therapy , Radiotherapy/methodsABSTRACT
Paracoccidioidomycosis is a common fungal infection in Latin America. Few cases have been described in non-endemic countries and their diagnosis without the correct suspicion, bearing in mind that the latency period might be up to 60 years, may not be easy. We report the case of a 59-year-old man who worked as a taxi driver for 25 years in Venezuela. Cutaneous paracoccidioidomycosis was diagnosed one year after he returned to Spain. No internal signs or symptoms of the disease were found and cell-mediated immunity showed no depression. Our case suggested us to consider direct cutaneous infection, although respiratory tract is believed to be the most frequent portal of entry for this infection.
