Home  About us  Contact
 

Dermatological Practice (dermatological + practice)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Photoallergic contact dermatitis from topical diclofenac in Solaraze® gel

CONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 6 2006
L. Kowalzick
Solaraze® gel (Shire Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Cologne, Germany) containing 3% diclofenac has been licensed in 2001 as a topical treatment for actinic keratoses. It is commonly used in dermatological practice. Undesirable effects are believed to be rare but include pruritus, paresthesia and application-site reactions (dry skin, rash, erythema, contact dermatitis and vesicobullous eruptions). Recently, a few cases of contact dermatitis due to three different allergens including diclofenac have been reported (1,2). [source]

Development and validation of the psychosomatic scale for atopic dermatitis in adults

THE JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2006
Tetsuya ANDO
ABSTRACT Psychosocial factors play an important role in the course of adult atopic dermatitis (AD). Nevertheless, AD patients are rarely treated for their psychosomatic concerns. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a brief self-rating scale for adult AD in order to aid dermatologists in evaluating psychosocial factors during the course of AD. A preliminary scale assessing stress-induced exacerbation, the secondary psychosocial burden, and attitude toward treatment was developed and administered to 187 AD patients (82 male, 105 female, aged 28.4 ± 7.8, 13,61). Severity of skin lesions and improvement with standard dermatological treatment were assessed by both the dermatologist and the participant. Measures of anxiety and depression were also determined. In addition, psychosomatic evaluations were made according to the Psychosomatic Diagnostic Criteria for AD. Factor analysis resulted in the development of a 12-item scale (The Psychosomatic Scale for Atopic Dermatitis; PSS-AD) consisting of three factors: (i) exacerbation triggered by stress; (ii) disturbances due to AD; and (iii) ineffective control. Internal consistency indicated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.86 for the entire measure, 0.82 for (i), 0.81 for (ii), and 0.77 for (iii), verifying the acceptable reliability of PSS-AD. Patients with psychosomatic problems had higher PSS-AD scores than those without. PSS-AD scores were positively associated with the severity of the skin lesions, anxiety and depression. The scores were negatively associated with improvement during dermatological treatments. In conclusion, PSS-AD is a simple and reliable measure of the psychosomatic pathology of adult AD patients. It may be useful in dermatological practice for screening patients who would benefit from psychological or psychiatric interventions. [source]

Anal intraepithelial neoplasia and anal cancer in dermatological practice

AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
Asoka Herat
SUMMARY Anal intraepithelial neoplasia is considered to be a precursor lesion of invasive anal cancer. It is now increasingly recognized in high-risk groups, such as men who have sex with men and HIV-infected patients. Human papillomaviruses are considered to be an important aetiological agent in both anal intraepithelial neoplasia and anal cancer. Dermatologists are likely to encounter these conditions among the differential diagnoses to be considered in high-risk patients presenting with perianal and anal lesions. Anal cancer rates are also increasing among the HIV-infected and HIV-non-infected population. The successful treatment of anal intraepithelial neoplasia may reduce the risk of subsequent development of anal cancer. However, current therapies for anal intraepithelial neoplasia may be associated with treatment-related morbidity and are not well validated. It is currently not proven that they reduce the likelihood of the development of anal cancer. Nevertheless, screening for anal intraepithelial neoplasia is being advocated for high-risk groups and may become standard dermatological care for these patients. In view of recent developments in the understanding of this condition, this article reviews the current understanding of anal intraepithelial neoplasia and its treatment from a dermatological perspective. [source]

Drug interactions in dermatological practice

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2008
H. L. Tey
Summary Systemic drugs are increasingly used in the treatment of dermatological diseases. Due to the high prevalence of polypharmacy, dermatologists are increasingly faced with the complex problem of drug interaction. Unlike adverse drug reactions, which are often unpredictable, drug interactions can be avoided. This article presents the significant drug interactions that are encountered in clinical practice, with the interactions categorized into those involving antimicrobials, immunosuppressants, antimalarials and colchicine, retinoids and psychiatric medications. There are few commonly used drugs that often cause drug interactions. These include ciclosporin, azole antifungal drugs, erythromycin, sulfonamides and rifampicin, and dermatologists should be alert whenever encountering them. A section on interactions of drugs with health supplements, herbs and food is also included, in view of the increasing use of alternative and complementary therapies in many parts of the world. [source]