Dermatology Flashcards
What is Nikolsy’s sign?
Slight rubbing of the skin removes the top layer.
Present in Staph Scalded Skin and TES
What is Staph Scalded Skin?
- Usually in infants and early childhood or immunocompromised adults.
- Prodome of fever, malaise, irritability sever skin tenderness
- Skin erythematous then starts to peel off
- Usually involves flexures
- Potentially life threatening
Exfoliative S. aureus toxin which targets granular layer of the skin causing an intraepidermal sterile blister.
Blood and blister cultures often negative. Infections with S.Aureus somewhere in the body but the toxins spread haematologically to cause the SSSS.
What are the differences between toxic epidermal necrolysis and staph scalded skin?
TEN:
- usually affects adults
- caused by drugs
- Histology - dermo-epidermal split, epidermal necrosis
- often involves mucosal surfaces
- Nikolsky sign present in some areas
- Treatment as per burn treatment ?IVIG
SSSS
- affects infants, children and immunocompromised adults
- Caused by toxin-producing S.Aureus
- Histology - granular layer split
- Does not affect mucous membranes
- Nikolsky’s sign present in seemingly uninvolved skin
- Perioral fissures and crusts
- Treatment with antibiotics and supportive care
What are Pastia’s lines?
Lines formed of confluent petechiae found in skin creases, esp antecubital fossa.
Occurs in patients with scarlett fever prior to appearance of the rash.
What is the prognosis for SSSS?
- Heals without scarring
- Improves 5-7 days
- Mortality 3%
What is mastocytosis?
Local of diffuse accumulation of mast cells in the skin +/- internal organs.
- Cutaneous (most frequent type in childhood)
- mastocytoma 10-30%
- urticaria pigmentosa 70-90%
- Diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis 1-3%
- Systemic
- Mast cells infiltrate organs
- Assoc with haematological malignancy
- Mast cell leukaemia
What is Darier’s Sign?
Skin becomes swollen, itchy and red with rubbing. Results from compression of mast cells which release histamine.
What drugs can be used to impove the symptoms of mastocytomas?
Antihistamines
Scalp hair loss + skin scaling =?
Tinea capitus.
Treat with oral antifungals for 1 month after taking a scraping and finding out what fungus is sensitive to.
Check close contacts for ? need for treatment.
Topical antifungals won’t be strong enough to heal condition, but may help to reduce transmission.
Treat with griseofulvin or terbinafine.
Can use itraconazole.
What is a kerion?
A scalp fungal infection together with a bacterial infection causing a boggy red plaque.
May commence oral antifungals immediately, plus take a swab. Also commence pronlonged oral antibiotics (eg erythromycin)
What is epidermolysis bullosa?
Group of genetically inherited defects in the skin basement membrane resulting in skin fragility.
Skin and mucosa separate from underlying tissues following mechanical trauma.
Many subtypes of EB. (Herlitz, non Herlitz, dominant, receessive)
One form of Herlitz EB associated with Pyloric atresia.
Investigation is skin biopsy for confirmation.
What is the clinical picture of subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn?
Assoc with
- birth asphyxia
- mec aspiration
- c sect
- cold exposure
Hypercalcaemia may occur as late as 4 months
High or inappropriate normal 1,25 dihydroxy Vit D
Suppressed PTH
What is the significance of maternal Anti-Ro/Anti-La antibodies to a pregnant woman?
Newborns can passively acquire neonatal lupus from a mother with anti-ro/anti-la antibodies. (15-20%)
Risk of heart block is two percent in the first baby, and in subsequent babies if previous does not have cutaneous neonatal lupus or heart block. Risk increased ten and five fold respectively if previous babies did have CNL or HB.
2008 Paper Q 97 Part 2
A ten-month-old boy presents with the facial rash as shown below. He has had dry skin on his cheeks for some weeks, and his parents have been applying moisturiser and Mometasone furoate 0.1%.
In addition to oral antibiotics, the most appropriate management now would be to:
A. add topical aciclovir.
B. add topical mupirocin.
C. add topical triclosan.
D. change to hydrocortisone 1% cream.
E. change to pimecrolimus cream.
D. Change to hydrocortison 1% cream
A five-year-old boy presents with multiple ulcerated skin lesions (as shown) with raised margins, which commenced as pustular lesions associated with fever a week prior to presentation. Pyoderma gangrenosum is confirmed by skin biopsy.
Which of the following is most likely to be associated with this skin lesion?
A. Chronic granulomatous disease.
B. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
C. Inflammatory bowel disease.
D. Pseudomonas septicaemia.
E. Systemic lupus erythematosis.
C. Inflammatory bowel disease