Dermatology

Here: Ted Rosen, MD, presents 5 tips about 5 skin disorders that you might not know.

A 27 year-old woman was petting her cat, when the animal suddenly bit her on the arm. She rinsed copiously with isopropyl alcohol and applied an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment. But, 12 hours later, a large, red, swollen and exquisitely tender plaque had developed around the bite site.

Here: Ted Rosen, MD, presents 5 tips about 5 skin disorders that you might not know.

Following his routine rosacea follow-up visit, this 58-year-old man incidentally asked about a lesion on his left third digit. He pointed out a dime-sized, red, scaly patch on the dorsal aspect of the distal portion of the knuckle that extended toward the end of the finger.

An 8-year-old child has intensely pruritic lesions on the thumbs, adjacent dorsum of the hand, soles of the feet, and navel. Vital signs are normal. The patient is otherwise healthy and has no recent history of exposure to poison ivy.

Acanthosis nigricans is a nonspecific increase of the thickness of the prickle cell layer of the skin and most commonly seen in obese persons.

Match each picture with the phrase below that best describes it. The pathogenic organisms in these picturesmight be microscopic or macroscopic, and they can be recovered from skin lesions or clothing by the patientand/or clinician. Answers and discussion appear on the following page.

The mother of a 12-year-old boy is concerned about this dark mole on his neck. The asymptomatic lesion has been present for about 3 months.

During the past year, a 48-year-old man has had joint pain as well as this worsening rash on his hands. He is a construction worker, and he attributes the symptoms to his occupational exposure.

For several months, this 64-year-old man has had persistently dry lips despite frequent application of lip balm. He is otherwise healthy, and the lips are asymptomatic except for the dryness.

The mother of this 18-month-old boy brings him to your office for evaluation of a pigmented lesion of 2 months’ duration on the right anterior shoulder. When the lesion is rubbed, it becomes red and inflamed and occasionally a blister forms.

Here: a succinct review of the diagnosis and treatment of pemphigus vulgaris, dermatomyositis, cicatricial pemphigoid, linear IgA bullous disease, coma bullae, and stasis bullae.

A 56-year-old man has had progressive, erythematous plaques across the forehead and temples for the past few weeks. He describes these areas as “a little itchy and a little tender.”

After 6 weeks of scratching a very itchy, worsening rash on his left leg, a 53-year-old man seeks medical evaluation. He has tried over-the-counter (OTC) topical remedies with no success.

Certain papulosquamous and bullous diseases are more common in older adults than in younger persons. For example, bullous pemphigoid typically affects those in the fifth through seventh decades of life. Grover disease, or transient acantholytic dyskeratosis, is most common in white men older than 65.

Two skin carcinomas that are in close proximity can be removed in a single excision.

For 3 weeks, a 28-year-old man has had a pruritic, bilateral axillary rash. He stopped using deodorant, but the condition has not improved.

During a routine examination, these changes are noted on both thumbnails of a 56-year-old man. He denies any trauma or underlying diseases.

After 6 weeks of coping with itchy lesions on her arms and legs, a 43-year-old woman seeks medical advice. The rash first erupted with the onset of cold weather.

For several months, a 28-year-old man has had these changes to his nails, which have also become more brittle. He denies any history of trauma to the nails.

A 54-year-old woman presents for an initial consultation. She has multiple chronic disorders, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension, for which she takes various medications-none of which are new.

Asymptomatic lesion on the dorsum of a 15-year-old boy’s left hand extends on to the first 2 fingers and has produced nail dystrophy. The patient is otherwise healthy and denies any history of trauma to the hand.

The mother of a 10-year-old boy brings him in for evaluation of his moles (which are all benign). During the visit, the mother asks about the lesions on the first 2 knuckles of his right hand; she initially noticed them several months earlier.

A 26-year-old white male aviator presents to his primary care physician for his annual military physical examination. The patient is healthy, takes no medications, and has no history of serious medical disorders. Genital examination reveals multifocal, confluent, slightly variegated, hyperpigmented macules with irregular borders located in a circumferential distribution on the penile shaft and glans.