Early skin biopsy is helpful for the diagnosis and management of neonatal and infantile erythrodermas.

BACKGROUND: Erythrodermas are often life-threatening conditions in infants. Determination of the underlying cause is crucial. Microscopic changes in adult erythroderma lack specificity. OBJECTIVE: To determine if an early skin biopsy is helpful for the diagnosis of neonatal and infantile erythroderma. METHODS: Seventy-two patients admitted for erythroderma in the first year of life were retrospectively included. One hundred and eleven skin biopsies (12-year period) were examined by 3 pathologists blinded to the clinical diagnosis, and classified into atopic dermatitis, immunodeficiency (ID), psoriasis, Netherton syndrome (NS), ichthyosis, other. From year 2000, LEKTI antibody was performed when NS was suspected. Pathological diagnosis was then compared with clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: The final diagnosis was made in 69.3% of the cases. In 57.6%, pathological diagnosis was in accordance, and in 11.7%, it was in accordance, but other diagnosis had also been proposed. For ID, sensitivity and specificity were 58.5 and 98.5%, respectively. Before year 2000, NS was frequently misdiagnosed with psoriasis, but with the use of LEKTI antibody, sensitivity and specificity were 100%. CONCLUSION: Skin biopsy is helpful for etiologic diagnosis of early erythroderma of infancy, particularly in ID and NS, the most severe diseases. Consequently, these results justify an early systematic skin biopsy for a better and earlier management.

[Requests for emergency appointments with dermatologists in private practice in France: the ETude Urgences en DErmatologie libérale (ET.U.DE) study]. / Demandes de rendez-vous en urgence en dermatologie libérale: ETude Urgences en DErmatologie libérale (ET.U.DE).

BACKGROUND: Requests for emergency appointments are fairly common in private dermatologic practice in France. To our knowledge the frequency and reasons for such requests have not yet been evaluated. The primary objective of our study was to provide a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of such requests and to assess the underlying reasons. The secondary aim was to investigate for an association between emergency requests where response was justified within 48 hours and the symptoms reported by patients in order to establish a predictive score for the validity of requests. METHODS: The study took place during one week in April 2004. Forty French dermatologists took part on a voluntary basis. They deliberately reduced their ongoing schedule to accommodate patients seeking an urgent appointment. We collected data regarding the normal professional activity of each dermatologist, reasons for appointments, symptoms, diagnosis and evaluation of the degree of emergency by the attending dermatologist. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed and a score was attributed based on the results for the variables used in the logistic regression model. RESULTS: The mean number of patients seen at emergency appointments during the study week doubled in comparison with a normal period. During the week, 613 patients phoned and all questionnaires were completed for 538 (88%) patients. The most common reasons for requesting an appointment were: rash, eczema, pruritus, tumour modification, localized lesion and allergy. The most frequent diagnoses were: eczema, bacterial and viral infection, atopic dermatitis, mycosis and naevus. The dermatologists considered that the consultations were justified within 48 hours for one third of patients. In the multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with a justified request were of a general medical rather than a dermatological nature: enlarged cysts, blisters, insomnia, impaired activity, onset or aggravation within the previous 7 days, inability to work. The score showed good specificity but poor sensitivity and discriminative value. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that requests for emergency appointments are more frequent than previously suspected (14% of all requests). Physicians considered that emergency appointments within 48 hours were justified for one third of patients. The reasons for consultation and the resulting diagnoses were similar to those seen in emergency hospital consultations. The criteria on which the need for emergency consultation was based were not for the most part dermatologic. The scoring system we established was not sensitive enough to allow reliable pre-selection of patients requiring emergency consultation by telephone.

Awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards sun protection among skin cancer-treated patients in France.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of skin cancer has risen over the past years, owing to increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Sun protection measures include avoiding exposure to the sun, using covering clothing and applying sunscreen. We evaluated the knowledge and compliance with advices about sun protection in a population of patients who had presented skin tumour(s). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A 30 question self-reporting questionnaire evaluating sun protective behaviour was distributed to 217 consecutive skin cancer-treated patients and completed by 198 of them. RESULTS: 72% of the responders had presented a melanoma, and 26% of them had presented only non-melanoma skin cancer. The present survey shows that patients who have had a skin cancer were aware of the cancer related risk of sunlight since 98% of the responders knew that ultraviolet radiations can include skin cancer. These patients did also take sun-protective measures because 73% of them had worn covering clothes when in the sun and 59% of them avoided outdoor activities during the midday hours. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that, after diagnosis of a skin cancer, patients limited their sun exposure; and wear protective clothing. However, sun-protection measures did not seem to be completely adequate. An evaluation of the various barriers to sun safety might be a key to understanding the sub-optimal sun protection.

Multiple large solar lentigos on the upper back as clinical markers of past severe sunburn: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Multiple solar lentigos commonly seen on the upper back and shoulders of adults are classically considered as a sign of photodamage, although epidemiological studies are scarce. AIM: To assess whether these lesions are clinical markers of past severe sunburn. METHODS: A case-control study in two outpatient dermatology clinics in French university hospitals. Past episodes of moderate and severe sunburn were compared between 145 adult patients with multiple solar lentigos on the upper back and 145 matched controls. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis adjusted for potential confounders, recalled episodes of sunburn during childhood, adolescence and adulthood were independently associated with the presence of multiple solar lentigos (adjusted odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals: 2.3 (1.1-5.2) and 28.1 (10.4-75.6) for moderate and severe sunburn, respectively). CONCLUSION: Multiple solar lentigos on the upper back and shoulders of adults are potential clinical markers of past severe sunburn which may thus be used to identify a population at higher risk of developing cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Poor agreement between self-reported and dermatologists' diagnoses for five common dermatoses.

BACKGROUND: Few epidemiological studies assessing the prevalence of chronic dermatosis are available in France and most of these studies have used biased samples drawn from specific subpopulations. As several recent studies have mentioned that self-reported diagnosis either underestimates or overestimates disease prevalence, the validity of such data is questionable. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the agreement between self-reported and dermatologists' diagnoses for five chronic dermatoses: acne, eczema, fungal infection, psoriasis and seborrhoeic dermatitis, and to analyse the factors associated with patients' diagnosis knowledge. PATIENTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the national day of skin tumour screening in April 2003. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by patients and a standard form was completed by dermatologists after clinical examination. A total of 4,622 adults were examined by a dermatologist in 134 screening centres across France. The agreement between self-reported and dermatologists' diagnoses was analysed using the kappa index. Characteristics of patients who were aware of their diagnosis were compared with those of patients who were not, by using multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: The demographic characteristics of the sample differed from those of the French population. The self-reported prevalence was significantly lower than the actual prevalence for all diseases except eczema. Underestimations ranging from 23% to 35% were observed in nearly all subgroups of our population. The agreement between self-reported and dermatologists' diagnoses was low to moderate. Many cases of chronic skin diseases were diagnosed in patients who did not report them. Diagnosis knowledge was poorer in those above 54 years of age and better for patients treated for the condition and those with impairment of social life. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a low agreement between self-reported and dermatologists' diagnoses for five chronic diseases. Self-reports underestimated the actual prevalence of four of five common diseases.

[Bullous pemphigoid in young patients: a retrospective study of 74 cases]. / Pemphigoïde du sujet jeune.

INTRODUCTION: Bullous pemphigoid usually affects elderly people. Only a few isolated cases among people younger than 65 years have been reported. OBJECTIVES: Describe the clinical and biological characteristics of patients younger than 60 years suffering from bullous pemphigoid, compare them with the usual characteristics known among elderly people and search for potential pathological associations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective, national, multicenter study. Clinical, biological and histological characteristics were recorded with a standardised questionnaire as well as treatments and associated pathologies. RESULTS: Seventy-four cases of bullous pemphigoid diagnosed between June 1970 and March 2002 were analyzed. Mean age at the beginning of the disease was 46 +/- 11.6 years. Further explorations by indirect immunofluorescence of separated skin and/or immuno-electron microscopy and/or immunoblotting were performed for 42 patients (56.8 p. 100). Clinical characteristics among this restricted population were comparable to those found among the 32 other cases. Compared to usual data on bullous pemphigoid in elderly people, we observed a greater proportion of extensive form of disease (75 p. 100), a more frequent head and neck involvement (39.2 p. 100) and an overexpression of anti-BP180 autoantibodies (48 p. 100). Neoplasm was notified for 7 patients (9.5 p. 100), 18 (24.3 p. 100) suffered from a pathology of the basement membrane zone (6 psoriasis, 6 atopic dermatitis and 6 lichen) and 13 from neurological disease, among which 4 were bedridden. Fourty-six patients (62.2 p. 100) received drugs for the long term (mean 2.12 +/- 2.43), 4 patients were treated by PUVAtherapy and 2 by radiotherapy. DISCUSSION: Our results suggest that bullous pemphigoid among young people is more severe and more active than the usual form in the elderly. This particular form could be the result of a higher expression of anti-BP180 autoantibodies, which are considered as a marker of poor prognosis in this disease. We also found a high frequency of pathological associations and physical treatment, all responsible for damage to the basement membrane zone, which can involve auto-immunization against hemidesmosome components.