E. Brenaut

Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: a systematic literature review.

Previous epidemiological studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in psoriasis patients, including metabolic syndrome, cigarette smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia. An increase in CV morbidity and mortality attributable to psoriasis is still under question.

Risk of cancer in psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies.

The relationship between psoriasis and increased cancer risk is debated.

Alcohol consumption and psoriasis: a systematic literature review

The association between alcohol consumption and psoriasis has been frequently discussed since the 1980s, but no systematic review has been elaborated on the subject so far.

Pruritus: an underrecognized symptom of small-fiber neuropathies.

BACKGROUND Small-fiber neuropathies (SFN) are diseases of small nerve fibers that are characterized by autonomic and sensory symptoms. OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate sensory symptoms, especially pruritus, in patients with SFN. METHODS A questionnaire was given to patients with SFN. RESULTS In all, 41 patients responded to the questionnaire (71.9% response rate). The most frequent sensory symptoms were burning (77.5%), pain (72.5%), heat sensations (70.2%), and numbness (67.5%). Pruritus was present in 68.3% of patients. It appeared most often in the evening, and was localized to the limbs in a distal-to-proximal gradient, although the back was the most frequent location (64%). Exacerbating factors were fatigue, xerosis, sweating, hot temperature, and stress. Cold water was an alleviating factor. LIMITATIONS Recall bias associated with filling out the questionnaire, relatively small sample size, and the uncontrolled, retrospective nature of the study were limitations. CONCLUSION Pruritus occurs frequently in patients with SFN and could be recognized as a possible presenting symptom, especially if there are other sensory or autonomic symptoms.

Oxybutynin as a treatment for generalized hyperhidrosis: a randomized, placebo‐controlled trial

Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that can impair quality of life. Localized treatments may be cumbersome and ineffective, and no systemic treatments have proven to be significantly beneficial.

Consequences of acne on stress, fatigue, sleep disorders and sexual activity: a population-based study.

Acne is a common disease among young people, which could have a serious impact on quality of life. Based on a survey using the quotas method on a large sample of the French population, we studied the impact of acne on feelings of stress, fatigue upon waking, sleep disorders and sexual activity. We did not establish any relationship to sleep disorders, but clearly ascertained that people with acne (n = 1,375) feel more stressed and have less sexual intercourse. Hence, 18% of people from acne group declared to be stressed every day (13.9% in control group) and 37.5% had no sexual intercourse (20.4% in control group; n = 891). To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that fatigue upon waking is strongly associated with the presence of acne (65.4% versus 58.4%). This study emphasises the fact that acne could have a deep resounding impact on the lives of people suffering from the disease.

Factors influencing patient satisfaction: assessment in outpatients in dermatology department

Improving patient satisfaction may lead to better adherence with treatment and consequently to better clinical outcomes for skin diseases.

Itch and systemic sclerosis: frequency, clinical characteristics and consequences

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the excessive production of collagen (1). Itch is not usually considered to be a symptom of SSc. However, in a recent study, itch was a common symptom of SSc (42.6% of patients) (2). No study has yet examined the clinical features of itch in SSc. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Alcohol consumption: Is it really a risk factor for psoriasis?

Dear Editor, We read with great interest the meta-analysis by Zhu et al. that was recently published in the Journal of Dermatology because the study attempted to answer an important question. The authors concluded that there is strong evidence of a positive association between alcohol consumption and the risk of psoriasis. In our opinion, the results warranted a more moderate conclusion. The authors selected case–control studies that compared alcohol consumption between patients with psoriasis and control patients. To conclude that alcohol is a risk factor, it is necessary to have data on alcohol consumption before the onset of psoriasis. However, these data are not included in most of the selected studies, except in that by Jankovic et al., because it is very difficult to obtain such data. In 12 of the studies, there were only data about present alcohol consumption. The authors can conclude that alcohol consumption is higher among patients with psoriasis than among the general population but not that it is a risk factor. Drinking alcohol could be a cause of psoriasis, but it could also be a consequence. Moreover, some studies should also be excluded from the meta-analysis. In Tey et al.’s study, the comparisons in alcohol consumption were made between psoriasis patients with and without psoriatic arthritis, not between patients with psoriasis and the general population. In their paper from 2008, Naldi et al. performed analyses on the same patients that were described in their 2005 paper, indicating that one of these two studies must be excluded from the metaanalysis. Methodologically, the global results of the meta-analysis should be addressed. The level of heterogeneity was very high (~92.2%), signifying that combining the findings of the selected studies yields a non-reproducible result that must be carefully interpreted. Such a level of heterogeneity may be due to the extreme variability in the measurement of alcohol consumption among the studies. The authors attempted to create new alcohol consumption categories, but the heterogeneity remained high. Thus, the results of this meta-analysis must be interpreted with caution, and the pertinence of a meta-analysis conducted under these conditions is debatable. Several studies have suggested that alcohol consumption seems to be higher in patients with psoriasis than among the general population, but there are not sufficient data to conclude that it is a risk factor.

Clinical characteristics of aquagenic pruritus in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms

Aquagenic pruritus (AP) is a diffuse itching sensation that develops immediately after water contact without any visible skin changes. AP is classically associated with polycythemia vera (PV), a BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), and can precede the diagnosis of the disease1,2. Alternatively, AP can be drug-induced or associated with various disorders (e.g., myelodysplastic syndrome, hypereosinophilic syndrome, and juvenile xanthogranuloma)3,4. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.