Session 5.4a - Lecture 2 - Dermatology Flashcards
30th October 2017 - 12:00 - 13:00 Slides 1 - 13
Learning resources/info
D@nderm (Danish)
DermNet NZ (New Zealand)
Note: the photographs and videos included in this lecture are CONFIDENTIAL.
What should I be able to do in dermatology?
- Take a dermatology history
- Perform a good thorough skin exam
- Become confident in diagnosing and managing common skin conditions
- – Eczema
- – Psoriasis
- – Acne
- Understand what it’s like to have these uncomfortable and difficult conditions, and understand what it’s like to live with a skin condition
Explain how you take a dermatology hx.
See Geeky Medics
How do you perform a good skin examination?
Thorough
See Integration module
What skin conditions do you need to know in Year 1?
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Acne
(Diagnosis and management)
How do you diagnose eczema?
x
How do you manage eczema?
x
How do you diagnose psoriasis?
By clinical presentation
How do you manage psoriasis?
Corticosteroids, coal tar treatment, vitamin D analogs
How do you diagnose acne?
x
How do you manage acne?
x
Other than physical symptoms, what other impact does living with a skin condition have?
These conditions have a huge psychological impact on patients, thus impacting greatly on their quality of life.
The visible presentation of their diagnoses can lead to low self-esteem, thus further leading to depression and anxiety in patients.
Skin conditions are therefore uncomfortable and difficult, as they need to be managed holistically, as well as physically.
Fig. 4 (left)
What is this picture showing?
Eczema
Fig. 4 (top middle)
What is this picture showing?
Acne
Fig. 4 (bottom middle)
What is this picture showing?
Stasis dermatitis?
Fig. 4 (right)
What is this picture showing?
Plaque psoriasis
Describe the presentation of eczema.
See Fig. 4 (left)
Describe the presentation of acne.
See Fig. 4 (top middle)
Describe the presentation of stasis dermatitis.
See Fig. 4 (bottom middle)
Describe the presentation of plaque psoriasis.
See Fig. 4 (right)
Fig. 6
What are these images showing?
Eczema (as a child)
Describe how eczema presents as a child.
See Fig. 6
How is eczema managed?
- Topical steroids
- Emollients
- Antihistamine
In severe cases:
- Immunosuppressant medication
How is eczema managed in severe cases?
Immunosuppressant medication
When is immunosuppressant medication used for eczema, and how?
In severe cases, so that the eczema is not so active.
What is a disadvantage to using immunosuppressant medications for eczema?
- Patient needs constant blood tests
- Has side effects
- Patients can get more infections
What is a typical symptom of eczema?
Scratching
Which areas are scratched in eczema?
Exposed areas
Which areas are particularly scratched in small children?
Exposed areas are scratched - especially the face in small children
The face is often scratched in which group of patients who have eczema?
Small children
Small children are particularly likely to scratch which area of the body in eczema?
The face
What condition does the patient have from the video?
Eczema
What is the presenting complaint from the patient about his eczema?
“It’s annoying”
How long can patients have had eczema for?
They may have had it all their life.
What symptoms do patients with eczema present with?
- Dry skin
- Weak skin
- Itchy skin (always itchy)
What is the most common symptom of patients with eczema?
Itchy skin
How does the itchy skin from eczema patients impact their quality of life?
- Patients can wake at night from it
- Often painful and sore
What tends to control the itching?
Medication can help control/manage the symptoms
What is an aggravating factor for eczema?
- Contact with water can make itching worse
- Allergies
- Stress
Can patients with eczema get blisters?
Sometimes
On what parts of the body is the eczema worse on?
- Face
- Arms
- Under legs
- Ankles
How can patients present who have allergies and eczema?
When they have an allergic reaction they can have spots on their face.
What are common allergies eczema patients can have?
- Dairy
- Wheat
- Soya
- Gluten
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Animals
What happens when a patient with eczema and a known allergy comes into contact with the allergen?
Contact with allergens flare up symptoms
Is eczema present all year around?
Often worse in summer - seasonal changes have a big effect.
How do you treat eczema?
- Creams
- Medications
- Happiness (reducing stress)
How often (disregarding seasonal changes) is eczema present?
For some patients, half the time eczema is always present.
What are other medical conditions that can predispose a patient to having eczema?
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Hay fever
What are the symptoms of a patient with eczema?
- Skin it itchy, dry, weak, red, cracked painful, sore
- Often on face, arms (inside of elbows), under legs (backs of knees) and ankles; although can affect anywhere
- This can be in small patches or widespread
- No blisters
When do patients tend to present with eczema?
Often presents in children, often manifests before a patients’ first birthday (“had all my life”)
What are the aggravating factors (and triggers) for eczema?
- contact with water
- allergies (e.g. dairy, wheat, soya, gluten, nuts, eggs, chicken, animals)
- soaps/detergents
- weather (summer)
- stress
What are the relieving factors (and treatments) for eczema?
- Emollients
- Topical corticosteroids
- Destress
What other medical conditions are closely associated with eczema?
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Hay fever
What is the long term impact on a patient with eczema?
- Very annoying/irritating
- Long-term (chronic) condition which has profound psychological impact
- severe eczema can impact daily life
- physical and mental strain
- increased risk of skin infections
What is the aetiology of atopic eczema?
- most common form of eczema
- more common in children
- often develops before 1st birthday
- can develop for the first time in adults
How often do symptoms occur in patients with eczema?
- normally develops before a patients’ first birthday
- sometimes there will be periods of no symptoms; other times they will have flare-ups
- seasonal impacts can make it worse, e.g. in summer
- triggers will worsen symptoms
What is important in the PMHx for eczema patients?
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Hay fever
What is important in the FHx for eczema patients?
If atopic eczema runs in the immediate (parents, siblings) family
What is important in the SHx for eczema patients?
Diet:
- are there any foods which trigger symptoms?
- any allergies to particular foods which trigger symptoms
Lifestyle:
- any lifestyle impacts that make things better/worse
What questions should you ask eczema patients who present with a rash?
- Is the rash itchy?
- Where is the rash?
- When did symptoms first begin?
- Do symptoms come and go over time?
- Is there a FHx of atopic eczema?
- Do you have any allergies?
- Do you have asthma or hayfever?
- Do any particular foods make it worse/any allergies to any foods?
- Is there anything in your lifestyle that makes it better or worse?
How is an atopic eczema diagnosis made?
From history and clinical examination of the skin. Skin must be itchy for the last 12 months and patient must have 3 or more of the following:
- visibly irritated skin in skin creases (inside elbows, behind knees) [pts <18 months can be located in cheeks, outside elbows, fronts of knees) AT THE TIME of examination
- hx of skin irritation in aforementioned areas
- generally dry skin in the last 12 months
- hx of asthma or hay fever (if pt <4 y/o, then hx in immediate relative)
- condition started <2 y/o (only if pt is >4 y/o)
What are the causes of eczema?
Exact cause unknown, but NOT a single cause
- often occurs in people with allergies, inc. food allergies
- FHx (genetics)
- often develops alongside asthma and hayfever
- triggers: soaps, detergents, stress, weather, food allergies
What does atopic mean?
Sensitivity to allergens
What is the word used to describe sensitivity to allergens?
Atopic
What is the treatment for eczema
Lifestyle:
- food diary to determine whether specific foods make symptoms worse
- (occasionally) allergy tests –> used to identify whether a food allergy may be triggering symptoms
- self care - reduce scratching, avoiding triggers
Pharmacological:
No cure, treatment relieves symptoms only
- emollients (moisturising treatment) - used daily for dry skin e.g. E45?
- topical corticosteroids - reduces swelling, redness, itching during flare-ups e.g. hydrocortisone?
What are patients who have eczema at an increased risk of?
Skin infections
How does eczema impact on the quality of life?
- Flaking of skin and itching can be very irritating/distressing
- Those with severe eczema from allergens have to worry about what they’re eating and what people around them are eating
- In school age children this can lead to separation as at lunchtime they may not be able to be around other people eating dairy, for example
- Patients are often able to adjust to allergies but find eczema distressing due to the physical impact on their appearance as it shows on the outside.
Explain how the physical impact of eczema can lead to a psychological impact.
The flaking of the skin (and associated itchiness) can be very distressing as it shows on the outside, as skin is so visible to each other, leading to a psychological impact.
What do patients with severe eczema sometimes have to consider?
What others are doing around them - if they have certain allergens, if the allergen is very severe they need to consider what other people are doing and whether they need to be separated from these people to prevent allergen triggers.
How can eczema lead to separation in school age children?
- Patients may feel isolated due to physical appearance and can get quite depressed
- Patients may have to be separated from other children if they are particularly allergic to something (which can set off their eczema) and so cannot sit with them at lunchtime, for example.
What questions do you need to explore in the HPC?
Site of onset and evolution
Distribution i.e.
- asymmetrical/symmetrical
- flexors/extensors
- mucous membranes
- sun-exposed/sun-protected areas
Duration
- acute/chronic
Fig. 7 (left)
A patient presents with this rash. How can you describe this rash in terms of distribution?
- Asymmetrical
- Appears on flexors/extensors
- Not commonly a sun-exposed area
- Not a mucous membrane
Fig. 7 (left)
A patient presents with this rash. What other questions need to be elicited?
- Is this the site of onset?
- How did the rash evolve?
- Do you expose this area to sun?
- When did you notice the rash?
- Do you have any other rashes?
Draw an image of an asymmetrical rash located on a patients’ flexors/extensor area.
See Fig. 7 (left)
Fig. 7 (right)
A patient presents with this rash. What information can be elicited from this image?
The rash appears inside the mouth, and therefore mucus membranes. It is not a sun-exposed area, or a flexor/extensor.
Fig. 7 (right)
What other questions need to be elicited before coming up with DDx?
- Do you have any other rashes in other places?
- When did you first notice this rash?
- Has the rash changed over time?
- Is the rash symmetrical (examine other cheek)
- Have you had any other symptoms?
Draw a picture of a rash that would appear on a mucous membrane.
See Fig. 7 (right)
What conditions often go hand-in-hand with eczema?
- Asthma
- Hayfever
What can support a diagnosis of atopic eczema?
An itchy rash with a FHx of atopic conditions can support the diagnosis and make it more likely.
What other conditions must you ask about when taking a history of a patient with a skin rash?
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Hayfever
(they make atopic eczema diagnosis more likely)