Iria Neri

Lichen Striatus: Clinical and Laboratory Features of 115 Children

Abstract:u2002 To analyze the clinical features, response to treatment, and follow‐up of lichen striatus and any associated symptoms or disease, we designed a retrospective study involving 115 affected children at the Pediatric Dermatology Unit of the Department of Dermatology of the University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. Between January 1989 and January 2000 we diagnosed lichen striatus in 37 boys and 78 girls (mean age 4 years 5 months). We studied their family history and the season of onset, morphology, distribution, extent, duration, histopathology, and treatment of their lichen striatus. We found that family history was negative in all our patients except for two pairs of siblings. The majority of children had the disease in the cold seasons; precipitating factors were found in only five cases. The most frequently involved sites were the limbs, with no substantial difference between upper and lower limb involvement. When lichen striatus was located on the trunk and face, it always followed Blaschko lines; in seven children the bands on the limbs appeared to be along the axial lines of Sherrington. In 70 cases, lichen striatus was associated with atopy. The mean duration of the disease was 6 months and relapses were observed in five children, and in one instance the disease had a prolonged course. Only a few case study series of lichen striatus in children have been reported and ours is the largest to date. The etiology of lichen striatus remains unknown in the majority of our patients. The confirmed association with atopy observed in our patients may be a predisposing factor. It has generally been accepted that lichen striatus follows the lines of Blaschko, and this distribution is a sign of both a topographic and a pathogenetic concept. In patients where lichen striatus is along axial lines, a locus minoris resistentiae, we suppose that this distribution may only be an illusory phenomenon in instances in which the trigger factor prefers this route, consisting of several successive Blaschko lines, but appearing as a single band.

Transient Aquagenic Palmar Hyperwrinkling: The First Instance Reported in a Young Boy

Abstract:u2002 Transient reactive papulotranslucent acrokeratoderma is a rare palmoplantar keratoderma seen predominantly in adolescent and young adult women. Clinically it is characterized by translucent white papules generally involving the palmar surfaces after exposure to water. The typical “hands‐in‐the‐bucket” sign, which is not clearly visible until the hand is submerged in water, is indispensable for the diagnosis. Histologic examination shows a mild orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis and dilated eccrine ducts. We propose the term “transient aquagenic palmar hyperwrinkling” to describe this condition. Until now, a total of 12 patients have been reported in the literature, all female, with an age of onset from 9 to 33 years. We present the first reported instance of this condition in a young boy.

The Natural History of Sensitizations to Food and Aeroallergens in Atopic Dermatitis: A 4‐Year Follow‐Up

Abstract: The natural history of atopic dermatitis (AD) is variable. Generally the dermatitis disappears during the first years of life, but it is often followed by the appearance of allergic respiratory diseases (ARDs). Our aim was to establish the risk factors for developing an ARD in children with AD. We followed up for 4 years 78 children (51 boys, 27 girls) with mild (26%), moderate (48%), and severe (26%) AD (clinical score proposed by Rajka and Langeland). In all the patients IgE serum levels were checked and skin prick tests (SPTs) were performed at the first examination. The SPTs were repeated in 68 children at the end of the study. The children with severe AD had significantly higher IgE serum levels than those with mild or moderate AD. SPTs at the first observation were positive in 47% of cases, mostly in patients with severe AD, with a prevalence of food allergens, particularly in younger patients. At the second observation, SPTs were positive in 65% of cases, including 100% of children with severe AD. Inhalants were the most common allergens. An ARD appeared in 38% of all patients: in 75% of those with severe AD and in 54% of those with a positive first SPT. Allergic screening should be carried out at an early age, especially in severe AD, since SPT positivity to food allergens, associated with severe clinical AD symptoms and a high IgE serum level, identifies those children ages 0–3 years at high risk of development of ARD.

Frequency and Clinical Role of Staphylococcus aureus Overinfection in Atopic Dermatitis in Children

Abstract: The goal of this study was to evaluate the frequency and role of Staphylococcus aureus infection in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). In 81 children, ages 2 months to 9 years, affected with moderate to severe AD, 308 samples from the cutaneous lesions were obtained and analyzed. S. aureus was isolated in 52 children (64.2%). Five of these were also colonized by Streptococcus pyogenes and one by Candida albicans. In 61 patients, total IgE serum level and specific IgE were tested to evaluate their allergic status: in 43 children a diagnosis of extrinsic AD was made, while 18 were affected by intrinsic AD. A higher presence of the bacterium was observed in allergic (71%) versus nonallergic children (49%). Our data demonstrate the importance of S. aureus in the clinical manifestation of AD and, in particular, its role in worsening the eczematous lesions of the face, neck, and perineum in children less than 1 year of age.

Should Idiopathic Facial Aseptic Granuloma Be Considered Granulomatous Rosacea? Report of Three Pediatric Cases

Abstract:u2003 Idiopathic facial aseptic granuloma (IFAG), or pyodermite froide du visage, is a skin disease reported only in children and characterized by painless red nodules usually located on the cheeks. Its etiology is still unclear, but some authors considered the possibility that IFAG might be included in the spectrum of granulomatous rosacea (GR). The histopathological features of IFAG and GR are quite similar, showing perifolliculitis, granulomas, folliculitis, and lymphocytes and plasmacells around epithelioid histiocytes. In the present article, we discuss three cases in which an association between a facial nodule, compatible with both IFAG and GR, and recurrent chalazia make us support the hypothesis that IFAG should be considered as GR.

Clinical characteristics of Becker's nevus in children: report of 118 cases from Italy.

Abstract:u2002 Weu2003performed a retrospective study covering a 10‐year period (January 1997–January 2007) on children referred to our unit or followed up for Becker’s nevus (BN). The aim of this study was to better define the characteristics of BN in childhood, when this hypermelanosis is more frequent than the limited number of studies might suggest. Our data show that BN in children has predilection sites similar to those in adults, but hypertrichosis is rarer. Sun exposure does not appear to play an etiopathogenetic role. The higher incidence in men reported in adult case studies was not found in children. During and after puberty, androgenic stimulation is known to play a pathogenetic role in BN, especially in men, but our cases were mostly younger than 6u2003years old.

A pediatric case of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: An immunohistochemical study

Abstract: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a fibrohistiocytic tumor of intermediate malignancy that usually occurs in early or mid‐adult life as a nodular cutaneous mass. DFSP has rarely been reported during childhood or at birth. We report a case of childhood DFSP that illustrates the usefulness of immunohistochemical analysis in the differential diagnosis between DFSP and other fibrohistiocytic proliferations occurring in the skin. A prompt and correct diagnosis is very important in order to ensure appropriate treatment and to prevent local recurrences.

Atypical Forms of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: A Prospective Study of 47 Italian Children

Atypical forms of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by coxsackievirus A6 have been reported in recent years. High fever and severe cutaneous lesions are common, whereas neurologic complications are rare. Eczematous areas of patients with atopic dermatitis show more lesions. The goal of the current study was to describe the clinical characteristics of children with atypical HFMD and to investigate the involvement of the different enterovirus serotypes associated.

Effectiveness and Safety of Acitretin in Children with Plaque Psoriasis: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis

Acitretin is licensed for and is most commonly used to treat psoriasis. Little information exists about its efficacy and safety in childhood and adolescent psoriasis.

Psoriasiform Acral Dermatitis: A Peculiar Clinical Presentation of Psoriasis in Children

Abstract: Recently an unusual chronic dermatosis, considered a new clinical entity and closely resembling psoriasis, has been described in the literature under the term psoriasiform acral dermatitis (PAD). It is characterized by cutaneous involvement of the digits without nail dystrophy. We describe three young patients, ages 6 to 8 years, in whom this condition was associated with psoriasis. Two children were affected by psoriasis vulgaris, while the third had a palmoplantar psoriasis. All laboratory investigations performed were within normal limits. Skin biopsy specimens taken from the fingers of two patients revealed the pathologic features of subacute spongiotic dermatitis. Histologic examination of a biopsy specimen taken from an erythematous squamous patch confirmed the clinical diagnosis of psoriasis in two patients. The dermatitis showed a fluctuating course in all three patients, with only a moderate to strong improvement with therapy with calcipotriol ointment (50 μg/g). During follow‐up, two patients experienced marked spontaneous, persistent improvement, while the disease slightly worsened in the third. The children had features similar to those described in PAD, but were also suffering from psoriasis. Whether PAD is a distinctive entity or just a clinical manifestation of psoriasis in children is still an open question. We strongly believe this latter hypothesis, although further studies are needed to confirm it.