dermatology Flashcards
What is a rash?
Rash = A change that appears on the skin, usually widespread, red, pimply.
What can infiltrate the skin?
- Inflammatory cells
- Extracellular substances
What are the main patterns of rashes?
- Epidermal = Eczematous, psoriasiform, lichenoid, vesiculobullous/ blistering
- Dermal = Vasculopathic, granulomatous, tissue deposition
What type of rash is this?
Eczematous
What type of rash it this?
Psoriasiform
What type of rash is this?
Lichenoid
What type of rash is this?
Vesiculobullous
What type of rash is this?
Vasculopathic
What type of rash is this?
Granulomatous
What is this?
Tissue deposition
What rashes are autoimmune
What is Eczema?
- Eczema = dermatitis. I tis not a disease, it is the way the skin reacts to insults: External (overwashing, scratching), or internal (skin barrier/cutaneous immune system disorder).
- All eczema has minute vesicles histiologically (spongiosis). However eczema can vary in appearance from weepy to dry
- Classification - Exogenous V Endogenous/ Acute vs chronic
Exogenous Eczema
- Contact dermatitis (irritant and allergic)
- Photosensitive
- Lichen simplex - eczema due to scratching
- Asteatotic - ‘crazy paving’
Type of eczema
Irritant contact eczema
Some examples of eczema
Prick and patch testing
COmmon drugs causing photosensitive eczema
Thiazide diuretics and quinine
WHat type of eczema
Lichen simplex
Tends to fade gradually into skin due to scratching
WHat type of eczema
- Asteatotic eczema- low fat eczema (due to drying)
Endogenous Eczema
- Atopic eczema - not fully known cause
- Discoid - mostly on limbs in older men
- Eczema due to venosu insufficiency (varicose/venous)
Type eczema
Atopic eczema
Very itchy
Gene identified associated with eczema
Philagrin - mutation in protein that allow skeratint o cross link in striatum
Type of eczema
Adult atopic eczema
Eczema herpeticum
Type eczema
Discoid
Type eczema
Varicose eczema
importance of exam vs history in dermatology
- Internal organ systems - lots of symptoms, limite dphysical signs
- Skin - many physical signs, few symptoms
- Diagnostic process - General medical (8% symptoms, 20% physical signs) and skin diagnosis (80% physical signs, 20% histroy)
Basic history of a lesion
- Same history as surgical lump
- Where
- How long been there
- Precedign abnormality
- UV exposure history: Tendency to tan/burn, fair/dark skin, freckling, sun-lover/hater, lived or worked abroad (armed services), sunbeds
Rash history
- Where did the rahs begin
- How has the rash evolved?
- Previous skin diagnoses?
- Does sun exposure worsen (lupes) or improve the rash (eczema/psoriasis)
- Symptoms: (very few) - itch, pain, weeping (almsot always eczema)
- Most PMH irrelevant - atopy (eczema?), family (psoriasis or eczema), itchy contacts (scabies)
- contact with substances - allergic contact dermatitis
- Occupation/hobies - allergic contact dermatitis
- Drugs, including when started - drug eruption
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Examination of a rash
- Level of the pathology: Epidermis, Dermis, Subcutaenous. Touch and feel (texture-rough/smooth. thickness, elasticity)
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Dermal - skin stays smooth, raised surface
- Macule (little flat)
- Patch (big flat)
- Papule (little area raised, dome surface)
- nodule (big raised area), dome surface
- Plaque (raised area with flat surface), usually formed by adj papules merged
- Vesicle (Filled papule, small blister)
- Bulla (Fluid filled nodule, large blister)
- Epidermal pathology - surface change - crust, scale
- Thickness of skin - Absence (erosion, ulcer, lichenificatin), thickened ( hyperkeratosis, lichenification)
- Colour change - papura/necrosis, pigmentation (haemosiderin v melanin)
- Crust – dried serum, orange/yellow, remove to reveal undelryign patho
- Scale - abrnomal stratum corneum, accumulation abnormal eratin. Hyperkeratotic
- Colour - blood leakage (purpura-non blanching, or dusky purple), viability (necrosus - green->black), pigent (pale brown -> blue/black)
- Pigmentation - haemosiderin (yellow/brown), melanin (depth pigment alters colour)
- Patterns of rash: Symmetry (external v internal causes). Some suggest diseases. Psoriasis extensor, eczema flexural, contact sensitivity, photodistribution
Describing a rash
- End of bed - comment broadly, pattern/distribution/extent, internal or external process?
- Approach patient and for each area: describe surface morphology, papules/plaques, other physical signs
- CLues from relating structures - scalp/hair/nails/mucous membranes
- Is rash epidermal or dermal
What si this
- Crust = dried serum, orange/yellow colour
- May be confused with keratin (usually white/yellow)
- Always remove crust to reveal underlying patho
- Is crust obscuring key characteristics of a tumour (means area of tumour become inviable and maybe necrotic and seep serum and this crust then builds up and can obscure patho).
Scale
- Abnormal stratum corneum
- Accumulation of abnormal keratin
- Hyperkeratotic
Thickened skin
What is this?
What is this
Ulcer
What is this
Excoriations
how colour is important in examinign a rash
- Blood leakage - purpura (non blanching), dusky purple
- Viability - necrosis - green->black
- Pigment - pale brown - blue/black
Palpable painful purpura- cutaneous vascultisi
Cutaneous vascultis progression purpura and necrosis
Necrosis
green/black necrotic tissue also seen in ulcers eg, pressure sores
Pigmentation in rashes
Essential lesions
- Epidermal (kertainocyte- derived): 4 basic tumour: Seborhheic keratosis, acitinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cellc arcinoma
- Melanocytic- malignant melanoma (MM)
Epidermal lesions
- Benign, basal = basal cell papilloma - seborrheic keratosis. (Seb K)
- Benign squamous = solar/actinic keratosis (AK)
- Malignant basal - basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
- Malignant squamous = squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
What is this
Seb Ks - brown “Stuck on” plaques
What is this
Basal cell carcinoma - pale/opalescen/translucent (lacking blood)
Telangiectasia on left of original image.
Ulcerated hav little depressions.
Ulcerated basal cell carcinoma
Solar/actinic keratosis
Squamous cell carcinoma
Malignant melanoma
Malignant melanoma prognostic indicators
- Key factor - Breslow thickness
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What is a macule
Flat lesion, no elevation or depression
Change in colour
Papule
Raised so its a palpable lesion, less than 5mm in diameter
Nodule
What lesion is this
Plaque = flat topped lesion