Onychomycosis: modern diagnostic and treatment approaches.

The medical term onychomycosis should be understood as chronic infection of the nails caused by a fungus. The most common causative agents are the dermatophytes and Candida species. The less common are certain types of moulds (nondermatophyte moulds or NDMs). In approximately 60-80 % of the cases, onychomycosis is due to dermatophytes. Among dermatophytes, the most often isolated causative pathogen is Trichophyton (T.) rubrum. Other common species are T. interdigitale (formerly T. mentagrophytes), Epidermophyton floccosum, and T. tonsurans. The most significant yeasts causing onychomycosis are Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis. Predisposing factors for onychomycosis include mainly diseases such as diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular arterial disease, chronic venous insufficiency, polyneuropathies of diverse etiologies, and immunosuppression, e.g., myeloproliferative diseases (such as lymphoma and paraproteinemia), HIV/AIDS, etc. Other factors facilitating the fungal infection are frequent trauma in professional sportsmen, often accompanied by excessive perspiration. The diagnostic methods that are often applied in different dermatologic departments and ambulatory units are also different. This precludes the creation of a unified diagnostic algorithm that could be used everywhere as a possible standard. In most of the cases, the method of choice depends on the specialist's individual experience. The therapeutic approach depends mostly on the fungal organism identified by the dermatologist or mycologist. This review hereby includes the conventional as well as the newest and most reliable and modern methods used for the identification of the pathogens causing onychomycosis. Moreover, detailed information is suggested, about the choice of therapeutic scheme in case whether dermatophytes, moulds, or yeasts have been identified as causative agents. A thorough discussion of the schemes and duration of the antifungal therapy in certain groups of patients have been included.

Unilateral presentation of pseudo-Kaposi's acroangiodermatitis--a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

INTRODUCTION: Acroangiodermatitis is a rare skin disease characterised by hyperplasia of pre-existing vasculature due to venous hypertension from severe chronic venous stasis. Clinical appearance of this condition is often similar to Kaposi sarcoma and is creating serious differential diagnostic difficulties. CASE REPORT: A patient with acroangiodermatitis was presented and the differential diagnosis discussed. Examination of the patella of the affected area showed grayish-blue to brown infiltrates and reduced elasticity, located in the supra- and infrapatellar regions. Clinically, Kaposi's sarcoma was suspected. Histopathologically there were acanthosis and compact hyperkeratosis. The underlying papillary dermis showed fibrosis and edema. A subepidermal lobular vascular proliferation with hemosiderin deposition was also noted. This consisted of multiple newly formed capillaries, featuring small blood vessels with dilated, rounded lumina. Serologies for HIV and Borrelia burgdorferi were negative, as was a HHV-8 PCR in lesional tissue. Doppler analysis of the vessels of the extremities showed chronic venous insufficiency, insufficiency of v. perforantes, insufficiency of the Cockett II-III. No deep thromboses in the area of the shank and thigh were found. Initially, treatment consisted of clindamycin 600 mg 3 times per day, intravenously, during a 2-week period. After that the treatment was continued with prednisolone, 30 mg daily in combination with furosemide 40 mg/day, as well as lymph drainage and adequate compression therapy. The consequent clinical improvement allowed the patient to be discharged from the clinic. CONCLUSION: The most important differential diagnostic marker in distinguishing between acroangiodermatitis and Kaposi sarcoma seems to be the confirmation of the presence of genetic material of HHV-8 in the affected skin areas in patients with Kaposi sarcoma.