Ana Luisa Sampaio

Oral candidiasis in patients with psoriasis: correlation of oral examination and cytopathological evaluation with psoriasis disease severity and treatment.

BACKGROUND Infections are known to trigger and exacerbate psoriasis. Although oral candidiasis is often clinically diagnosed, it is not always confirmed by laboratory tests such as oral cytopathology. OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of oral candidiasis in patients with psoriasis through clinical and cytopathological diagnosis and to investigate the association between oral candidiasis and psoriasis with regards to the severity of the clinical presentation and the type of treatment for psoriasis. METHODS A total of 140 patients with psoriasis and 140 healthy control subjects received an oral examination. Scrapings of the tongue were also obtained for a cytopathological examination. RESULTS The oral examination and the results of the cytopathological smear revealed 37 (26%) cases of candidiasis in the patients with psoriasis and no cases of candidiasis in the healthy control subjects. There was no correlation between the type of psoriasis treatment and the presence of oral candidiasis (P = .616). There was a statistically significant association (P = .033) between the clinical severity of psoriasis and the presence of Candida. LIMITATIONS This study was limited by the small number of subjects and the lack of follow-up to determine the development of psoriasis after treatment for oral candidiasis. CONCLUSIONS The presence of oral candidiasis is higher in patients with psoriasis and it is associated with disease severity. This increased presence of oral candidiasis was apparent despite any type of treatment for the psoriasis. Cytopathology to rule out oral candidiasis should be used in the routine medical workup of patients with psoriasis.

Prevalence of Psoriatic Arthritis in a Large Cohort of Brazilian Patients with Psoriasis

Objective. To determine the prevalence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in a large cohort of Brazilian patients with psoriasis (PsO) being seen at dermatology centers. Methods. A multicenter study was conducted in 4 university dermatology clinics. In each center, consecutive patients with confirmed diagnoses of PsO were evaluated by a rheumatologist. Individuals were classified as having PsA according to the ClASsification criteria for Psoriatic ARthritis (CASPAR). Laboratory tests and radiographs were performed, as needed, based on the clinical judgment of the rheumatologist. Results. A total of 524 patients with PsO were evaluated. The mean age was 48.5 ± 14.5 years, 50% were women, and the mean PsO duration was 15.4 ± 11.7 years. A diagnosis of PsA was documented in 175 patients (33%), of whom 49% were newly identified by the rheumatologist. Most individuals with PsA (72%) had peripheral involvement, 11% had isolated axial involvement, and 17% had both peripheral and axial involvement. Dactylitis occurred in 20% and clinical enthesitis in 30% of the patients. Laboratory and/or radiograph tests were necessary for a definitive diagnosis of PsA in 42 of 175 individuals (24%). Conclusion. In our study, one-third of Brazilian patients with PsO, followed in dermatology settings, were diagnosed with PsA by a rheumatologist. Almost half of subjects with PsA had no previous diagnosis. A collaboration between dermatologists and rheumatologists is greatly needed to establish earlier PsA diagnoses and adequate multidisciplinary management.

Geographic stomatitis: an oral manifestation of psoriasis?

BACKGROUND Geographic stomatitis is an uncommon oral lesion that presents similar clinical, histopathological and genetic features as those of psoriasis. These findings suggest that this lesion may actually represent an oral manifestation of psoriasis. We report one case of geographic stomatitis and discuss a possible connection between this condition and psoriasis. MAIN OBSERVATIONS A 37-year-old woman presented with red patches, surrounded by a white border on the labial mucosa and a positive family history of psoriasis. Histopathological examination, immunohistochemical analysis with antibodies against CD4, CD8, CD20, CD68, CD31, and Ki-67 and HLA-A*, -B*, -C*, -DRB1*, -DQA1* and -DQB1* genotyping were performed. Histopathological examination revealed parakeratosis, marked elongation of rete ridges with acanthosis and clubbing, exocytosis, Munro microabscesses, pustule of Kogoj, dilated tortuous vessels at the tip of dermal papillae, and predominant superficial and perivascular lymphocytic chronic inflammatory cell infiltrate. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed a predominant T-cell subepithelial infiltrate. Based on the referred clinicopathological findings and in the absence of cutaneous lesions, the diagnosis of geographic stomatitiswas confirmed. CONCLUSIONS This case and theoretical data indicate that geographic stomatitis may be an oral manifestation of psoriasis. Moreover, to improve our understanding, psoriatic patients should routinely undergo a detailed oral examination and patients with geographic stomatitis should routinely be submitted to a cutaneous routine examination.

A possible relationship of human leucocyte antigens with psoriasis vulgaris and geographic tongue.

Geographic tongue (GT) is the most frequent oral lesion in psoriatic patients (PP), and genetic involvement in these conditions has been described. The association of psoriasis with GT is still not clear, and the study of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) may help clarify this relation.

Hemangioma glomeruloide e a síndrome POEMS: relato de dois casos e revisão da literatura

Glomeruloid hemangioma is characterized by coiled capillary vessels contained within enlarged vascular spaces displaying an architecture that resembles renal glomeruli. The condition is strongly associated with POEMS syndrome (Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal gammopathy and Skin changes). The present paper reports on two cases of glomeruloid hemangiomas associated with POEMS syndrome, and includes a review of the literature. Case one refers to a 63-year old female patient admitted to hospital with ascites, hepatosplenomegaly, walking difficulties and cutaneous hemangiomas. Histopathology revealed a diagnosis of glomeruloid hemangioma and served to guide the clinical work-up, which revealed sensorimotor polyneuropathy, a plasmacytoma in the L4 vertebra with tumor cells positive for kappa chain, and diabetes mellitus. These findings permitted a diagnosis of POEMS syndrome to be reached. The second case consisted of a 39-year old woman admitted to hospital with edema, ascites, pleural effusion, glomeruloid hemangiomas and lymphadenopathy (Castlemans disease). Additional findings included monoclonal IgG-lambda paraproteinemia, blastic lesions in the right iliac bone and L4 vertebra, and demyelinating sensorimotor neuropathy affecting all four limbs. The final diagnosis in this case was POEMS syndrome associated with Castlemans disease.

Perineurioma esclerosante: relato de caso e revisão da literatura

Sclerosing perineurioma is a rare benign neoplasm composed exclusively of perineural differentiation cells spread in a dense fibrous stroma. It affects primarily the skin of fingers and that of the palm of the hands. It appears as a hard papule or nodule, normochromic and asymptomatic. A case of sclerosing perineurioma in the left palm of a 16-year-old female is described, with detailed demonstration of clinical aspects, histopathology and literature review published in the English language.

Human leucocyte antigen frequency in a miscegenated population presenting with seborrhoeic dermatitis

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Red face revisited: Endogenous dermatitis in the form of atopic dermatitis and seborrheic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis and seborrheic dermatitis are multifactorial dermatitides that are known collectively as endogenous dermatitis. Both conditions can affect the face, but they have clinical, epidemiological, and physiopathological peculiarities that distinguish them from each other. These two diseases are very common all around the world. Atopic dermatitis is associated with xerosis and increased susceptibility to irritants and proteins; patients with this condition have a tendency to develop asthma, allergic rhinitis, and systemic manifestations that are mediated by immunoglobulin E. Seborrheic dermatitis is a moderate chronic dermatitis that is restricted to regions with a high production of sebum and areas that have cutaneous folds. There are many studies about pathophysiology related to the immunology and genetics of atopic dermatitis, but little is known about the genetic and immunological markers of seborrheic dermatitis.

Semantic and psychometric validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version (PASE-P) of the Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation questionnaire

PASE (Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation) was developed in the English language to screen for inflammatory arthritis among patients with psoriasis. It is 15 item self administered questionnaire with a score from 15 to 75. A higher score indicates a greater risk for inflammatory joint disease. The purpose of this study was to translate, adapt and validate this questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese (PASE-P). METHODS: 465 patients diagnosed with psoriasis (158 with psoriatic arthritis confirmed by a rheumatologist according to the CASPAR criteria and 307 without) were evaluated in dermatology clinics. We performed the analysis of semantic equivalence in eight steps. For psychometric equivalence, we evaluated the data quality, reliability, construct validity, well-known groups and discriminant characteristics of the items, as well as a ROC curve to determine optimal PASE-P cutoff points in case identification and their sensitivity / specificity. The final version presented excellent reproducibility (CCI = 0.97) and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha> 0.9). A cut-off point of 25 distinguished between patients with and without psoriatic arthritis, with sensitivity of 69.5 and specificity of 86.8. PASE-P proved to be culturally valid and reliable to screen for psoriatic arthritis in Brazilian patients with psoriasis.

Evaluation of treatment with carboxymethylcellulose on chronic venous ulcers

BACKGROUND: Among the chronic leg ulcers, venous ulcers are the most common and constitute a major burden to public health. Despite all technology available, some patients do not respond to established treatments. In our study, carboxymethylcellulose was tested in the treatment of refractory chronic venous ulcers. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of carboxymethylcellulose 20% on the healing of chronic venous ulcers refractory to conventional treatments. METHODS: This is an analytical, pre-experimental study. Thirty patients were included with refractory venous ulcers, and applied dressings with carboxymethylcellulose 20% for 20 weeks. The analysis was based on measurement of the area of ulcers, performed at the first visit and after the end of the treatment. RESULTS: There was a reduction of 3.9 cm2 of lesion area (p=0.0001), corresponding to 38.8% (p=0.0001). There was no interruption of treatment and no increase in lesion area in any patient. CONCLUSIONS: Carboxymethylcellulose 20% represents a low cost and effective therapeutic alternative for the treatment of refractory chronic venous ulcers. However, controlled studies are necessary to prove its efficacy.