Paediatrics: how to manage scabies.

This narrative review addresses scabies, a highly contagious, pruritic infestation of the skin caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis. Scabies is a common disorder that has a prevalence worldwide estimated to be between 200 and 300 million cases per year. Infestation is of greatest concern in children, the elderly, immunocompromised people and resource-poor endemic populations at risk of chronic complications. A diagnosis of scabies involves a clinical suspicion, a detailed targeted history, clinical examination and contact tracing. Dermoscopy and microscopy, where available, is confirmatory. Due to its infectivity and transmissibility, the management for scabies requires a multimodal approach: topical antiscabetic agents are the first line for most cases of childhood classic scabies and their contacts, which must also be identified and treated to prevent treatment failure and reacquisition. Environmental strategies to control fomite-related reinfestation are also recommended. Oral ivermectin, where available, is reserved for use in high-risk cases in children or in mass drug administration programmes in endemic communities. The prevention of downstream complications of scabies includes surveillance, early identification and prompt treatment for secondary bacterial infections, often superficial but can be serious and invasive with associated chronic morbidity and mortality. Post-scabetic itch and psychosocial stigma are typical sequelae of the scabies mite infestation. The early identification of patients with scabies and treatment of their contacts reduces community transmission. Although time consuming and labour intensive for caregivers, the implementation of appropriate treatment strategies usually results in prompt cure for the child and their contacts. Here, we provide a summary of treatments and recommendations for the management of paediatric scabies.

Secondary Syphilis with Eosinophilia Complicated by Severe Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction.

It has long been acknowledged that syphilis is a disease with a diverse range of presentations. We herein describe a case of a young man who presented with fever, rash, and eosinophilia following the commencement of allopurinol, only to be diagnosed with secondary syphilis on histopathology. His treatment was complicated by a severe exacerbation of his cutaneous eruption following the commencement of penicillin, likely secondary to a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, an entity often overlooked by clinicians managing syphilis.

Cutaneous manifestation of IgG4-related disease mimicking dermatitis artefacta.

Dermatitis artefacta is a self-inflicted cutaneous disease presenting as sharply delineated ulcers, usually in accessible sites such as the head and neck. IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently recognised immune-mediated condition causing a fibroinflammatory process, resulting in the formation of tumefactive lesions in various organs, rarely presenting primarily in the skin. We report a case of cutaneous IgG4-RD clinically presenting as dermatitis artefacta.

Cutaneous malignancies in Indigenous Peoples of urban Sydney.

INTRODUCTION: Despite 3% of Australians identifying as Indigenous, cutaneous malignancies in these patients, including incidence, risk factors and outcomes have not been investigated. This is despite recognition that cancer outcomes in this population are significantly poorer. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective case series of Indigenous Peoples who presented to two urban cancer therapy centres for the management of cutaneous malignancies from 2003 to 2017. Risk factors, tumour-specific characteristics, treatments and outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. The median age at presentation was 61 years and the majority were male (63.6%) and had skin phototype III (86.4%). Patients presented with basal cell carcinoma (50%), squamous cell carcinoma (31.8%), melanoma (9.1%) and cutaneous sarcomas (9.1%). The majority (68.2%) presented with stage II or higher disease, and there were high rates of immunosuppression (45.5%). At the time of reporting, 68.2% patients were alive, 18.2% had died from their skin cancers and 13.6% had died from unrelated causes. CONCLUSION: This cohort has demonstrated late-stage presentation of skin cancers, with substantial morbidity and mortality from potentially treatable cutaneous malignancies. This parallels other health conditions in Indigenous Australians and has highlighted the need for improved data collection of Indigenous status to better quantify the epidemiology of skin cancer in this population. There is an imperative to improve skin cancer awareness in this population to allow earlier detection and management to ensure better outcomes.

A retrospective cohort study of melanoma prevalence stratified by body site in a Regional Australian Population 1994-2017: Site-specific protective mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Australia has the highest incidence of cutaneous melanoma worldwide. Previous studies have identified some body areas (forearms and dorsal hands) have lower rates of melanoma than expected when compared with other similarly exposed areas, leading to the suggestion that endogenous immunological protective mechanisms in certain body sites may exist. AIMS AND METHODS: We hypothesise that examination of melanoma by body site in a regional Australian setting would demonstrate no significant variation in the incidence of melanoma across highly sun exposed areas including the head and neck and upper limbs. Results were stratified by body site and further examined by univariate correlation analysis by gender, age, body site, Breslow thickness and subtype. Polytomous logistic regression was used to test the difference in risk factors by location of melanoma. RESULTS: A total of 772 melanomas were included in the analysis. Melanomas of the upper limb were more likely to affect females (OR = 2.415 95%CI: 1.433-4.072) and more likely to be thinner than other body sites. Compared to other international studies, statistically significant decreased rates of melanoma were seen on the upper limb compared to other areas of the body (X2  = 16.29, P < 0.001). Examination of sites of melanoma on the upper limb showed significantly decreased rate on the distal upper limb given relative body surface areas (X2  = 6.30 P = 0.04). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our study was limited by its retrospective nature, and the findings require validation in a larger prospective cohort. Further exploration of such mechanisms may lead to new insights into the immunological mechanisms surrounding cutaneous melanoma.