Common Skin Disorders in Pediatric Skin of Color.

Children with skin of color represent a large proportion of the pediatric population. There are numerous skin conditions that commonly occur in this population, including but not limited to acne, atopic dermatitis, pityriasis alba, tinea versicolor, progressive macular hypomelanosis, traction alopecia, and confluent and reticulated papillomatosis. This article highlights the clinical presentations of these conditions in skin of color and briefly addresses pathophysiology and treatment modalities.

Varied Presentations of Pediatric Lipoblastoma: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Lipoblastoma is a rare neoplasm of embryonal adipose tissue most often encountered on the trunk and extremities of children. It commonly presents as a painless subcutaneous soft tissue mass, but there are other unique clinical presentations that are important to recognize. The differential is broad and includes sarcoma, vascular tumor, myofibroma, and other fibromatoses. We present three varied, distinct cases of pediatric lipoblastoma and review the literature on this condition.

Ethnic skin: Kids are not just little people.

There are numerous skin conditions that occur commonly in children with ethnic skin, including vitiligo, progressive macular hypomelanosis, pityriasis alba, acne keloidalis nuchae, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and keloids. Though these conditions occur in both children and adults, children may have different patterns of clinical presentation and response to therapy. In caring for such patients, important treatment considerations include side effects of systemic medications and tolerability of invasive procedures. Quality of life is an important measure and should not be compromised by either the skin disease or its treatment.

Infantile Fistula-in-Ano: A Report of Two Patients and Review for Dermatologists.

Infantile fistula-in-ano is a well-known entity to pediatric surgeons but less recognized by dermatologists. Because these patients may initially present to a dermatologist or pediatric dermatologist, familiarity with the presentation is important. We present two infants with fistula-in-ano and review the literature on this condition.

Coping with the neonatal intensive care unit experience: parents' strategies and views of staff support.

It is stressful for parents to have an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). To better understand the parents' experience and the role of staff, we examined parental reports of their NICU experiences, coping strategies, and views of the ways NICU staff supported them. Between June and July 2007, we interviewed 29 current and graduate parents from the study institution's NICU. A trained researcher conducted all interviews, which were recorded and transcribed. This was a qualitative analysis of prospectively collected interview data. Parents used the following coping strategies: (1) participating in care of the child; (2) getting away from the NICU; (3) gathering information; (4) involvement of friends and family; and (5) engagement with other NICU parents. Staff can support the parents' coping strategies in the following ways: (1) facilitating participation of the parents with the infant's care; (2) emphasizing documentation of the infant's progress; (3) demonstrating affection for the infant; (4) addressing concerns that make parents hesitant to leave the NICU; (5) providing accurate, consistent clinical information; (6) limiting unscheduled nonemergency phone calls; and (7) arranging voluntarily activities or programs in which parents whose infants have similar medical conditions may interact.

Lipoatrophic panniculitis: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Lipoatrophic panniculitis (LP) is a rare disease of childhood characterized by eruption of tender erythematous nodules and plaques followed by circumferential bands of lipoatrophy often seen on the arms and legs. This condition has also been known as lipophagic panniculitis of childhood, annular atrophy of the ankles, and partial lipodystrophy. OBSERVATIONS: A previously healthy 8-year-old boy was evaluated for tender, raised plaques on the ankles, which progressed to circumferential atrophy of the distal lower extremities. Biopsy specimen analysis revealed a dense mixed infiltrate extending into the subcutaneous tissue as well as lipophages within the fatty lobules. A diagnosis of LP was made, and the patient began treatment with prednisone and hydroxychloroquine. Methotrexate was added later to the regimen as a steroid-sparing agent, and the dose was increased over the course of 3 months, by which time the cutaneous disease progression was nearly halted. However, the patient continued to have lower leg pain with bone changes demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSIONS: We report this case and review of the literature to call attention to the clinical features of LP and its association with skeletal changes. Our patient's response to combination therapy is of interest and contributes to the limited literature about management of this disease.