Microbiome, probiotics and dermatology

Abstract

neous mucinoses as a reference guide, as these are often rare diseases and although they can sometimes have distinctive clinical features allowing for a clinical diagnosis (e.g. pretibial myxoedema, scleredema), not infrequently the diagnosis is made on histology by a dermatopathologist using confirmatory mucin stains. In this issue of the BJD, Rongioletti reviews and classifies paediatric cutaneous mucinoses and to my knowledge, this is the first review specifically on cutaneous mucinoses in the paediatric age group. Primary paediatric cutaneous mucinoses are even rarer than the adult conditions and this review is therefore a useful addition to the literature. Knowledge of paediatric mucinoses is also important as some conditions may not be just dermatological and can be associated with systemic symptoms. The proposed classification includes degenerative/inflammatory conditions that can be dermal/subcutaneous or follicular as well as hamartomatous/neoplastic conditions that are subdivided into dermal or follicular locations. Finally, the author discusses prognosis and potential management for each condition described. Like many rare deposition diseases, there are few evidenced-based treatments and for many of these conditions, treatment options are limited to a trial of intralesional corticosteroids (not well tolerated in young children) or destructive modalities, primarily carbon dioxide laser or surgical excision. Fortunately, several primary mucinoses in children (postinfectious scleredema or self-healing juvenile cutaneous mucinosis as examples) can resolve spontaneously.