Christina M. Ambros-Rudolph

Dermatoses of Pregnancy - Clues to Diagnosis, Fetal Risk and Therapy

The specific dermatoses of pregnancy represent a heterogeneous group of pruritic skin diseases that have been recently reclassified and include pemphigoid (herpes) gestationis, polymorphic eruption of pregnancy (syn. pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy), intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, and atopic eruption of pregnancy. They are associated with severe pruritus that should never be neglected in pregnancy but always lead to an exact work-up of the patient. Clinical characteristics, in particular timing of onset, morphology and localization of skin lesions are crucial for diagnosis which, in case of pemphigoid gestationis and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, will be confirmed by specific immunofluorescence and laboratory findings. While polymorphic and atopic eruptions of pregnancy are distressing only to the mother because of pruritus, pemphigoid gestationis may be associated with prematurity and small-for-date babies and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy poses an increased risk for fetal distress, prematurity, and stillbirth. Corticosteroids and antihistamines control pemphigoid gestationis, polymorphic and atopic eruptions of pregnancy; intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, in contrast, should be treated with ursodeoxycholic acid. This review will focus on the new classification of pregnancy dermatoses, discuss them in detail, and present a practical algorithm to facilitate the management of the pregnant patient with skin lesions.

Pilot study on the acceptance of mobile teledermatology for the home monitoring of high-need patients with psoriasis

Background/Objectives:  The willingness to be educated is one of the highest desires among patients with psoriasis. Therefore, a collaborative model of management would appear to be essential in enhancing patient satisfaction in this challenging condition. The present study aimed at examining the applicability of a mobile teledermatology service in this regard and assessing the association between patient acceptance and perceived health‐related quality of life.

Pilot Study Using Teledermatology to Manage High-Need Patients With Psoriasis

P atient empowerment has been found to be a key factor for achieving improved health outcomes in psoriasis. Telemedicine has revolutionized some aspects of health care delivery by transforming relationships between patients and physicians, shifting the power of consultation so that patients may become more informed and assertive. However, the greater confidence of dermatologists when making the diagnosis by in-person examinations may have impeded the routine use of teledermatology until now. The present study provides baseline data on the feasibility of teledermatology services for high-need patients with psoriasis, preparing the way for further effectiveness studies.

Foreign body granuloma due to Matridex injection for cosmetic purposes.

A new resorbable filler, Matridex, became commercially available during the last years with scarce evidence regarding side effects. A 43-year-old woman complained of multiple, painful, reddish, nonulcerated, hard nodules on both cheeks and periocular regions. Four weeks before, she had been injected by a general practitioner with Matridex for aesthetic purposes to correct wrinkles in the same areas of the nodular eruption. Histopathology showed a diffuse suppurative granulomatous reaction with the presence of multinucleate giant cells and many neutrophils involving the entire dermis. No areas of caseation were observed. The inflammatory granulomatous reaction surrounded 2 different types of nonpolarizing, bluish, exogenous material: one arranged in filamentous structures and the second composed by large spherical particles. All nodules were incised and drained; the patient received systemic antibiotic treatment for 2 consecutive weeks. The nodules progressively regressed and almost complete resolution was seen after 6 months. Matridex is a new resorbable filler constituted by a mixture of nonanimal-stabilized hyaluronic acid (HA), cross-linked HA, and dextranomer microspheres. Foreign body reactions have been described in association with other HA fillers, but a granulomatous reaction after the injection of Matridex has not been reported yet. Interestingly, in our patient, we were able to identify both fragments of HA: the filamentous particles and the spherical particles of dextranomer microspheres within the infiltrate, these last giving a characteristic and recognizable appearance to the histopathological picture.

Immunoblot Analysis of the Seroreactivity to Recombinant Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato Antigens, Including VlsE, in the Long-Term Course of Treated Patients with Erythema Migrans

Objective: We evaluated whether immunoblotting is capable of substantiating the posttreatment clinical assessment of patients with erythema migrans (EM), the hallmark of early Lyme borreliosis. Methods: In 50 patients, seroreactivity to different antigens of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was analyzed by a recombinant immunoblot test (IB) in consecutive serum samples from a minimum follow-up period of 1 year. Antigens in the IgG test were decorin-binding protein A, internal fragment of p41 (p41i), outer surface protein C (OspC), p39, variable major protein-like sequence expressed (VlsE), p58 and p100; those in the IgM test were p41i, OspC and p39. Immune responses were correlated with clinical and treatment-related parameters. Results: Positive IB results were found in 50% before, in 57% directly after therapy and in 44% by the end of the follow-up for the IgG class, and in 36, 43 and 12% for the IgM class. In acute and convalescence phase sera, VlsE was most immunogenic on IgG testing (60 and 70%), and p41i (46 and 57%) and OspC (40 and 57%) for the IgM class. By the end of the follow-up, only the anti-p41i IgM response was significantly decreased to 24%. Conclusions: No correlation was found between IB results and treatment-related parameters. Thus, immunoblotting does not add to the clinical assessment of EM patients after treatment.

Dermatoses of pregnancy

The dermatoses of pregnancy represent a heterogeneous group of pruritic inflammatory skin diseases related to pregnancy and/or the postpartum period. Whereas some dermatoses are distressing only to the mother because of severe pruritus, others are associated with fetal risks including fetal distress, prematurity, and stillbirth. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential for improving maternal and fetal prognosis. This review discusses the various pregnancy dermatoses in detail and offers an algorithmic approach to their diagnosis and management.

Melanoma Markers in Marathon Runners: Increase with Sun Exposure and Physical Strain

Background: Marathon runners seem to have an increased melanoma risk. Objective: To identify potential melanoma markers. Methods: 150 marathon runners volunteered to take part in the skin cancer screening campaign. After the runners completed a questionnaire about melanoma risk factors, types of sportswear and training programs, they received a total skin examination. The number of lentigines and nevi on the left shoulder and the left buttock were counted in each participant using templates in standardized positions. The potential association of training sportswear and training parameters with the number of lentigines and nevi on the left shoulder was evaluated. Results: The mean number of lentigines on the left shoulder was 19.6 ± 18.2 (SD), whereas no lentigines were found on the left buttock (p = 0.000). The number of nevi also differed significantly between the 2 localizations with higher numbers on the left shoulder (p = 0.000). While lifetime sunburn history and type of sportswear correlated with the number of lentigines, training parameters had an impact on the number of nevi. Independent of their mean weekly running time, runners with higher heart rates while training, higher training velocities and higher physical strain indexes showed more nevi on the shoulder than the other runners (p = 0.029, 0.046, 0.038, respectively). Conclusion: Sun exposure and high physical strain lead to an increase in melanoma markers such as lentigines and nevi in marathon runners.

Successful outcome of haemodialysis-induced pseudoporphyria after short-term oral N-acetylcysteine and switch to high-flux technique dialysis.

Pseudoporphyria is a blistering disease with skin fragility and shallow scarring that clinically and histopathologically closely resembles porphyria cutanea tarda. The two conditions can be distinguished by porphyrin levels that typically are elevated in porphyria cutanea tarda, but not or only slightly in pseudoporphyria. Pseudoporphyria can be induced by various medications (e.g. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, diuretics, retinoids), intense UV(A) exposure, or haemodialysis. Treatment of haemodialysis-associated pseudoporphyria is not yet standardized. We report here a 65-year-old male patient with chronic renal failure due to Waldenströms macroglobulinaemia who was treated with conventional 3 times/week haemodialysis. He developed blistering skin changes on both hands, which were diagnosed as pseudoporphyria based on clinical, histopathological, and laboratory findings, and could be successfully managed with initial oral N-acetylcysteine and a switch from low-flux to high-flux membrane haemodialysis. The beneficial effect of the high-flux membrane technique in haemodialysis-associated pseudoporphyria has not been previously reported.

Skin disease in pregnancy

#### Summary points Skin problems are common during pregnancy, but accurate diagnosis can be difficult. Skin changes in pregnancy can be broadly divided into physiological (box 1),1 specific dermatoses of pregnancy, and other common skin diseases in pregnancy. #### Box 1 Physiological skin changes in pregnancy In our experience of pregnancy skin clinics, approximately 50% of women present with an exacerbation of a common inflammatory skin disease (for example, eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea) or a skin infection. Around 30-50% of women present with one of the specific dermatoses of pregnancy (pemphigoid gestationis, polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, or atopic eruption of pregnancy).2 Pregnancy causes specific management issues, and there is often confusion over which treatments can be …

Clinical spectrum of skin manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in 204 children in Austria.

The spectrum of skin manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in children is not well characterized. We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the clinical characteristics, seroreactivity to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and outcome after treatment in 204 children with skin manifestations of Lyme borreliosis seen in 1996-2011. Solitary erythema migrans was the most common manifestation (44.6%), followed by erythema migrans with multiple lesions (27%), borrelial lymphocytoma (21.6%), and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (0.9%). A collision lesion of a primary borrelial lymphocytoma and a surrounding secondary erythema migrans was diagnosed in 5.9% of children. Rate of seroreactivity to B. burgdorferi s.l. was lower in solitary erythema migrans compared to other diagnosis groups. Amoxicillin or phenoxymethylpenicillin led to complete resolution of erythema migrans within a median of 6 (solitary) and 14 days (multiple lesions), respectively, and of borrelia lymphocytoma within a median of 56 days. In conclusion, erythema migrans with multiple lesions and borrelial lymphocytoma appear to be more frequent in children than in adults, whereas acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans is a rarity in childhood. The outcome after antibiotic therapy was excellent in children, and appears to be better than in adults.