Tena M. Rallis

Low-dose oral methotrexate treatment for recalcitrant palmoplantar pompholyx

We describe 5 patients with severe pompholyx who did not respond to conventional therapy or who had debilitating side effects from corticosteroids. Low-dose methotrexate was added to their treatment regimens and led to significant improvement or clearing with a favorable side-effect profile. In all 5 patients the need for oral corticosteroid therapy was substantially decreased or eliminated, thus decreasing potential corticosteroid-induced morbidity. In this uncontrolled series of patients with recalcitrant palmoplantar pompholyx, methotrexate was an effective treatment and acted as a steroid-sparing agent.

Differentiation of involved and uninvolved psoriatic skin from healthy skin using noninvasive visual, colorimeter and evaporimeter methods

Background/aims: Uninvolved skin of psoriasis may not be entirely normal. The object was to characterize healthy, uninvolved psoriatic skin and lesional skin by biophysical methods.

Acute Generalized Varicella Zoster in the Setting of Preexisting Generalized Erythema

We report a 5‐year‐old girl who initially had generalized erythema from scarlet fever. Four days later she developed sheets of monomorphous vesicles in the areas of erythema. A Tzanck smear of a vesicle base showed multinucleated giant cells, and viral culture grew varicella zoster virus, confirming a clinical diagnosis of varicella. This case illustrates that, with a background of preexisting erythema, varicella may present in an atypical manner.