Cutaneous findings in patients with acromegaly and its relationship with concomitant endocrinopathies.

OBJECTIVES: Skin changes in acromegaly are often the first sign of the disease. The aim of this study was to describe the cutaneous findings in patients with acromegaly. In addition, a secondary aim was to investigate the possible association of these findings with remission status and concomitant endocrinopathies. DESIGN, PATIENTS, AND MEASUREMENTS: In this prospective multicenter study, 278 patients over the age of 18 years with acromegaly who were followed up in 14 different tertiary healthcare institutions were included. These patients, who were followed up by the Endocrinology Department, were then referred to a dermatologist for dermatological examination. The frequency of skin lesions was investigated by detailed dermatologic examination. Dermatological diagnosis is reached by clinical, dermatological and/or dermoscopic examination, and rarely skin punch biopsy examinations in suspicious cases. The possible association of the skin findings between remitted and nonremitted patients and with concomitant endocrinopathies were evaluated. RESULTS: The most common skin findings in patients with acromegaly in our study were skin tags (52.5%), cherry angiomas (47.4%), seborrhoea (37%), varicose veins (33%), acneiform lesions (28.8%), hyperhidrosis (26.9%) and hypertrichosis (18.3%). Hypertrichosis was significantly more prevalent in patients nonremitted (p: .001), while xerosis cutis was significantly more prevalent in patients remitted (p: .001). The frequency of diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism was significantly higher in patients with varicose veins and seborrhoeic keratosis than those without. Additionally, the coexistence of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and galactorrhea was significantly higher in patients with Cherry angioma than in those without Cherry angioma (p-values: .024, .034 and .027, respectively). The frequency of hypogonadism in those with xerosis cutis was significantly higher than in those without (p: .035). CONCLUSIONS: Cutaneous androgenization findings such as skin tag, seborrhoea, acne and acanthosis nigricans are common in patients with acromegaly. Clinicians should be aware that skin findings associated with insulin resistance may develop in these patients. It can be said that the remission state in acromegaly has no curative effect on cutaneous findings. Only patients in remission were less likely to have hypertrichosis. This may allow earlier review of the follow-up and treatment of acromegaly patients presenting with complaints of hypertrichosis. Additionally, it can be said that patients with skin findings such as cherry angioma may be predisposed to a second endocrinopathy, especially hypothyroidism. Including dermatology in a multidisciplinary perspective in acromegaly patient management would be beneficial to detect cutaneous findings earlier.

The effect of COVID-19 on development of hair and nail disorders: a Turkish multicenter, controlled study.

BACKGROUND: A broad spectrum of skin diseases, including hair and nails, can be directly or indirectly triggered by COVID-19. It is aimed to examine the type and frequency of hair and nail disorders after COVID-19 infection. METHODS: This is a multicenter study conducted on consecutive 2171 post-COVID-19 patients. Patients who developed hair and nail disorders and did not develop hair and nail disorders were recruited as subject and control groups. The type and frequency of hair and nail disorders were examined. RESULTS: The rate of the previous admission in hospital due to COVID-19 was statistically significantly more common in patients who developed hair loss after getting infected with COVID-19 (P < 0.001). Telogen effluvium (85%) was the most common hair loss type followed by worsening of androgenetic alopecia (7%) after COVID-19 infection. The mean stress scores during and after getting infected with COVID-19 were 6.88 ± 2.77 and 3.64 ± 3.04, respectively, in the hair loss group and were 5.77 ± 3.18 and 2.81 ± 2.84, respectively, in the control group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). The frequency of recurrent COVID-19 was statistically significantly higher in men with severe androgenetic alopecia (Grades 4-7 HNS) (P = 0.012; Odds ratio: 2.931 [1.222-7.027]). The most common nail disorders were leukonychia, onycholysis, Beau's lines, onychomadesis, and onychoschisis, respectively. The symptoms of COVID-19 were statistically significantly more common in patients having nail disorders after getting infected with COVID-19 when compared to the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The development of both nail and hair disorders after COVID-19 seems to be related to a history of severe COVID-19.

A Collision Tumor: Reflectance Confocal Microscopy Features and Correlation between Dermoscopy and Histopathology.

Coexistence of two types of malignant neoplasms, called 'a collision tumor,' is relatively uncommon. Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are known to coexist with other cutaneous lesions, but the collision of BCC with malignant melanoma is rare. We report a rare case of BCC with underlying lentigo maligna melanoma, focusing on dermoscopic and reflectance confocal microscopic (RCM) findings and their correlation with histopathology. RCM and dermoscopy seem to offer important clues to increase clinical suspicion of collision tumors and improve clinical diagnosis.

Comparison of topical clobetasol propionate 0.05% and topical tacrolimus 0.1% in the treatment of cutaneous lichen planus.

INTRODUCTION: The effectiveness of topical tacrolimus in the treatment of oral and genital lichen planus has been verified in many randomized studies; however, there are only few case reports in treatment of cutaneous lichen planus (CLP). AIM: We sought to compare the safety and efficacy of topical clobetasol propionate and tacrolimus ointment in the treatment of CLP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patient files was performed. We enrolled patients who were diagnosed with CLP and treated with topical tacrolimus 0.1% or topical clobetasol propionate 0.05%. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores of pigmentation and pruritus, clinical response, laboratory data and adverse effects were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients were included in the clobetasol group and 23 patients in the tacrolimus group. Both groups showed an improvement in VAS scores regarding pruritus and pigmentation but a statistically significant difference was observed in the clobetasol group (p< 0.05). At week 12, a complete response was observed in 63% (n = 17) of the clobetasol and 26% (n = 6) of the tacrolimus group. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, both treatments were found effective in the treatment of CLP but clobetasol propionate was more effective. However tacrolimus may be preferred before topical corticosteroids for lesions on the face, neck, and intertriginous regions of the body, which are sensitive to the cutaneous adverse effects of topical corticosteroids. Our study may be one of the first studies to compare the effects of topical clobetasol and tacrolimus ointment in the management of CLP.

Clinical and prognostic factors in the development of basal cell carcinoma.

We investigated the environmental and personal risk factors associated with the development of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). This retrospective cohort study included a total of 997 patients whose diagnosis was confirmed by histopathologic examination between 2007 and 2014. A control examination was performed in 363 of these patients, who were accessed via telephone. A total of 1151 tumors were detected in 997 patients. During their follow-up, 13% of them developed subsequent tumors. The risk of developing subsequent tumor was 2.7-fold higher in patients with multiple BCCs at the time of diagnosis than those with single BCC. Multiple BCCs tended to develop in older patients and men. The risk of developing multiple BCCs was increased in patients with a history of BCC, skin type 1 or 2, and chronic sun exposure (sun exposure of >500 weeks, a high photoaging score [≥30], and the presence of actinic keratosis). We concluded that chronic sun exposure may increase the risk of developing multiple BCCs. These data also indicate that cumulative sun exposure is as important for developing BCC as for squamous cell carcinoma.

Zosteriform pemphigoid after zoster: Wolf's isotopic response.

The Wolf isotopic response describes the occurrence of a new, unrelated disease that appears at the same location as a previously healed disease. The most common primary skin disorder of this phenomenon is herpes zoster and less frequently, herpes simplex. We report a case of 79-year-old woman who have bullous pemphigoid (BP) with dermatomal distribution that developed at the site of previously healed herpes zoster. Based on clinical, histological and immunofluorescence findings, the patient was diagnosed with localized BP in a site of prior herpes zoster. BP developing at the site of healed herpes zoster is the first reported case. Recognition of this phenomenon is important for correct clinicopathologic diagnosis and may improve our understanding of the underlying pathophysiologic processes.