Nails in older adults.

As the world's population of adults greater than 60 years old continues to increase, it is important to manage nail disorders that may impact their daily lives. Nail disorders may have significant impact on quality of life due to decreased functionality, extreme pain, or social embarrassment. In this review, we discuss nail disorders affecting older patients, including physiologic, traumatic, drug-induced, infectious, environmental, inflammatory, and neoplastic conditions. Diagnosis of these conditions involves a detailed history, physical examination of all 20 nails, and depending on the condition, a nail clipping or biopsy and/or diagnostic imaging. Nails grow even more slowly in older adults compared to younger individuals, and therefore it is important for accurate diagnosis, and avoidance of inappropriate management and delay of treatment. Increased awareness of nail pathologies may help recognition and management of nail conditions in older adults.

Nail disorders are common amongst older adults and may cause decreased functionality, pain, psychosocial problems and impact quality of life.Many nail conditions, both physiologic or pathologic, may have similar presentation in older adults. Confirmation testing is important to avoid inappropriate or delayed treatment.The increased frequency of comorbidities, drug interactions, polypharmacy, and mental or physical limitations with aging must be considered when managing care of older patients with nail disorders.

Diagnosis and Management of Longitudinal Erythronychia: A Clinical Review by an Expert Panel.

Longitudinal erythronychia (LE) is defined as a longitudinal red band of the nail(s) and is classified as localized (involvement of one nail) or polydactylous (involvement of more than one nail). The differential diagnosis is distinct for these classifications. The etiologies of localized longitudinal erythronychia (LLE) are most frequently benign subungual neoplasms, and less often malignancies. Polydactylous longitudinal erythronychia (PLE) is typically secondary to regional or systemic diseases, including lichen planus and Darier disease. LE is a common, but underrecognized clinical finding. Increased dermatologist awareness of the clinical characteristics and differential diagnosis for LE is necessary given the possibility for malignancy and associated systemic disease. In this clinical review, the clinical features, differential diagnosis, evaluation, and management of LE are described.

Clotrimazole-Betamethasone Dipropionate Prescribing for Nonfungal Skin Conditions.

This cross-sectional study identifies the common diagnoses and physician encounter types associated with clotrimazole-betamethasone dipropionate prescriptions among Medicare enrollees in 2021.

Clinical Course, Antifungal Susceptibility, and Genomic Sequencing of Trichophyton indotineae.

Importance: Trichophyton indotineae is an emerging dermatophyte causing outbreaks of extensive tinea infections often unresponsive to terbinafine. This species has been detected worldwide and in multiple US states, yet detailed US data on infections with T indotineae are sparse and could improve treatment practices and medical understanding of transmission. Objective: To correlate clinical features of T indotineae infections with in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing results, squalene epoxidase gene sequence variations, and isolate relatedness using whole-genome sequencing. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study of patients with T indotineae infections in New York City spanned May 2022 to May 2023. Patients with confirmed T indotineae infections were recruited from 6 New York City medical centers. Main Outcome and Measure: Improvement or resolution at the last follow-up assessment. Results: Among 11 patients with T indotineae (6 male and 5 female patients; median [range] age, 39 [10-65] years), 2 were pregnant; 1 had lymphoma; and the remainder were immunocompetent. Nine patients reported previous travel to Bangladesh. All had widespread lesions with variable scale and inflammation, topical antifungal monotherapy failure, and diagnostic delays (range, 3-42 months). Terbinafine treatment failed in 7 patients at standard doses (250 mg daily) for prolonged duration; these patients also had isolates with amino acid substitutions at positions 393 (L393S) or 397 (F397L) in squalene epoxidase that correlated with elevated terbinafine minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.5 µg/mL or higher. Patients who were treated with fluconazole and griseofulvin improved in 2 of 4 and 2 of 5 instances, respectively, without correlation between outcomes and antifungal minimum inhibitory concentrations. Furthermore, 5 of 7 patients treated with itraconazole cleared or had improvement at the last follow-up, and 2 of 7 were lost to follow-up or stopped treatment. Based on whole-genome sequencing analysis, US isolates formed a cluster distinct from Indian isolates. Conclusion and Relevance: The results of this case series suggest that disease severity, diagnostic delays, and lack of response to typically used doses and durations of antifungals for tinea were common in this primarily immunocompetent patient cohort with T indotineae, consistent with published data. Itraconazole was generally effective, and the acquisition of infection was likely in Bangladesh.

Comprehensive Review of Tinea Capitis in Adults: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Clinical Presentations, and Management.

Tinea capitis is a fungal infection of the scalp and hair caused by dermatophyte molds, that most often affects children and may also affect adults. Previous estimates suggest that between 3% and 11% of all tinea capitis cases worldwide occur in adults, although updated epidemiological studies are needed to reassess the prevalence of tinea capitis in adult populations specifically. Postmenopausal adult women are most often affected by tinea capitis, with African American or Black women particularly at risk. Adults who experience crowded living conditions, who live in close proximity to animals, who are immunosuppressed, and/or who live in households with affected children are at greatest risk of infection. Tinea capitis can be non-inflammatory or inflammatory in nature, and the subtype affects the extent and severity of clinical symptoms. Fungal culture and potassium hydroxide preparations are the most commonly used diagnostic tools. Trichoscopy, defined as dermoscopic imaging of the scalp and hair, is a useful adjunct to the physical examination. The mainstay of therapy is oral antifungal therapy, and topical therapy alone is not recommended. Since tinea capitis infection is uncommon in adults, there are no widely accepted treatment guidelines. Rather, the same medications used for tinea capitis infection among children are recommended for adults at varying doses, including griseofulvin, and terbinafine, and, less commonly, itraconazole and fluconazole. The prognosis for tinea capitis in adults is typically excellent when prompt and adequate treatment is administered; however, delayed diagnosis or inadequate treatment can result in scarring alopecia. Over the past decade, dermatophyte infections resistant to treatment with topical and oral antifungal agents have emerged. While tinea capitis infections resistant to antifungal therapy have been rarely reported to date, antifungal resistance is rising among superficial fungal infections in general, and antifungal stewardship is necessary to ensure that resistance to treatment does not develop among dermatophytes that cause tinea capitis.

Dermatophytomas in Onychomycosis: A Scoping Review of Prevalence, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytoma, also described as a longitudinal streak/spike, is a form of onychomycosis that presents as yellow/white streaks or patches in the subungual space, with dense fungal masses encased in biofilm. This scoping review of the literature was conducted to address a general lack of information about the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of dermatophytomas in onychomycosis. METHODS: A search was performed in the PubMed and Embase databases for the terms "longitudinal spike" or "dermatophytoma." Outcomes of interest were definition, prevalence, methods used for diagnosis, treatments, and treatment efficacy. Inclusion and exclusion of search results required agreement between two independent reviewers. RESULTS: Of a total of 51 records, 37 were included. Two reports provided the first unique definitions/clinical features of dermatophytomas. Overall, many descriptions were found, but one conclusive definition was lacking. Prevalence data were limited and inconsistent. The most frequently mentioned diagnostic techniques were clinical assessment, potassium hydroxide/microscopy, and fungal culture/mycology. Oral terbinafine and topical efinaconazole 10% were the most frequently mentioned treatments, followed by topical luliconazole 5% and other oral treatments (itraconazole, fluconazole, fosravuconazole). In studies with five or more patients without nail excision, cure rates were highest with efinaconazole 10%, which ranged from 41% to 100% depending on the clinical and/or mycologic assessment evaluated. Other drugs with greater than or equal to 50% cure rates were topical luliconazole 5% (50%), oral fosravuconazole (57%), and oral terbinafine (67%). In studies that combined oral terbinafine treatment with nail excision using surgical or chemical (40% urea) methods, cure rates ranged from 50% to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: There is little published information regarding dermatophytomas in onychomycosis. More clinical research and physician education are needed. Although dermatophytomas have historically been considered difficult to treat, the efficacy data gathered in this scoping review have demonstrated that newer topical treatments are effective, as are oral antifungals in combination with chemical or surgical methods.

Analysis of Utilization, Cost, and Prescription Trends of Common Immunosuppressive Medications Among Medicare Patients 2013 to 2019.

Immunosuppressive medications are commonly used to manage dermatological conditions, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and bullous diseases. However, cost and adverse effect profile, including increased risk of infections, are important considerations.

Vitamins for the Management of Nail Disease: A Literature Review.

Background: Vitamins have gained popularity among physicians and patients for purported benefits to hair, skin, and nail health. Safe and efficacious therapies for nail disorders, many of which are chronic conditions, are needed. Summary: We conducted a literature review of studies assessing the efficacy of oral, topical, and intralesional vitamin/vitamin derivatives for the treatment of nail disorders, including yellow nail syndrome, brittle nail syndrome, onychomycosis, habit-tic nail deformity, periungual/subungual verruca, and nail psoriasis. Forty-nine articles were reviewed. There is good evidence to support the use of topical tazarotene and vitamin D analogs for nail psoriasis treatment. We found overall limited evidence for treatment of other nail disorders with vitamin/vitamin derivatives, and further research is needed to support their use. Key Messages: Besides topical tazarotene and vitamin D analogs for nail psoriasis treatment, there is limited evidence for treatment of nail disorders with topical, oral, and intralesional vitamin/vitamin derivatives.

Assessing melanoma prognosis: the interplay between patient profiles, survival, and BRAF, NRAS, KIT, and TWT mutations in a retrospective multi-study analysis.

The incidence and prevalence of melanoma are increasing globally, presenting a significant public health concern. The main genetic drivers of melanoma include BRAF, NRAS, KIT and triple wild-type (TWT) mutations. Little is known about the effects of these mutations on outcomes in terms of demographics and patient characteristics. We examined differences in melanoma mortality risk and mutation count across mutation type and patient disease profile. We extrapolated primary melanoma patient data from 14 studies via the cBioportal database. Patients were divided into demographic groups and classified according to BRAF, NRAS, KIT and TWT mutation status. Analyses included two-sample Student t-test and two-way analysis of variance tests analysis with Tukey's post hoc test. Survival outcomes were compared via Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox regression. NRAS-mutated patients exhibited decreased overall survival compared to BRAF-mutated patients. Male patients had higher mutation counts across all gene groups than females, with the fewest TWT mutations in comparison to BRAF, NRAS and KIT mutations. Males also exhibited increased mortality risk for NRAS, KIT and TWT mutations compared to BRAF mutations. An unknown primary melanoma was associated with increased mortality risk across all gene groups. NRAS-mutated acral melanoma patients had an increased mortality risk compared to NRAS-mutated cutaneous melanoma patients. Older patients had a higher mortality risk than younger patients. Patients with heavier versus lower weights had lower mortality risk, which was more pronounced for BRAF-mutated patients. These relationships highlight the importance of demographic and pathologic relationships to aid in risk assessment and personalize treatment plans.

Impact of Ketogenic and Low-Glycemic Diets on Inflammatory Skin Conditions.

Diet plays an emerging role in dermatologic therapy. The ketogenic and low-glycemic diets have potential anti-inflammatory and metabolic effects, making them attractive for treating inflammatory skin conditions. We provide an overview of the current evidence on the effects of ketogenic and low-glycemic diets on inflammatory skin conditions including acne, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis (SD), atopic dermatitis (AD), and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). We conclude that low-glycemic diets show promise for treating acne, while the evidence for ketogenic diets in treating other inflammatory skin conditions is limited. Randomized clinical trials are needed to explore the efficacy of these diets as stand-alone or adjunctive treatments for inflammatory skin conditions.