An exuberant case of protothecosis: an emergent disease in tropical dermatology.

Protothecosis is a rare condition caused by the aclorophylated algae of the genus Prototheca. We described an exuberant case treated as sporotrichosis with prolonged course which evolved to arm deformation. Itraconazole treatment for 8 months was inefective.

Granuloma annulare on the palms in an elderly patient.

Granuloma annulare is a relatively common, idiopathic, benign inflammatory dermatosis, with a varied clinical presentation that often makes diagnosis difficult. It mainly affects the extremities, such as the dorsa of the hands and feet, forearms and legs. Palmar and plantar regions are generally spared. It occurs mainly in young female patients. The presentation of the palmar variant in an elderly patient is a rarity.

Clinical exuberance of classic Kaposi's sarcoma and response to radiotherapy.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a multicentric vascular neoplasm, with cutaneous and extracutaneous involvement. Different clinical and epidemiological variants have been identified. The classic form is manifested mainly in elderly men with indolent and long-term evolution, with lesions localized primarily in the lower extremities. We present two cases of classic Kaposi's sarcoma (CKS) in two female patients with extensive, exuberant skin involvement and rapid evolution, with good response to radiotherapy.

Pigmented Bowen's disease.

Pigmented Bowen's disease is rare, though more prevalent in men. It presents as a well-delineated plaque in areas unexposed to sun. There are reports of association with seborrheic keratosis, solar lentigo or exuberant pigmentation of genital and intertriginous regions. A specific dermoscopy finding is the presence of brown or gray dots in regular arrangement and coiled or dotted vessels. Thus, we aim to raise awareness of the diagnosis of pigmented Bowen's disease in pigmented lesions.

Primary systemic amyloidosis, acquired cutis laxa and cutaneous mucinosis in a patient with multiple myeloma.

A 57-year-old woman presented with periorbital ecchymoses, laxity in skin folds, polyneuropathy and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. A skin biopsy of the axillary lesion demonstrated fragmentation of elastic fibers, but with a negative von Kossa stain, consistent with cutis laxa. The diagnosis of primary systemic amyloidosis was made by the presence of amyloid material in the eyelid using histopathological techniques, besides this, the patient was also diagnosed with purpura, polyneuropathy, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and monoclonal gammopathy. She was diagnosed as suffering from multiple myeloma based on the finding of 40% plasma cells in the bone marrow, component M in the urine and anemia. The patient developed blisters with a clear content, confirmed as mucinosis by the histopathological exam. The final diagnoses were: primary systemic amyloidosis, acquired cutis laxa and mucinosis, all related to multiple myeloma.

Diffuse systemic sclerosis with bullous lesions without systemic manifestations.

Here, we describe an atypical case of systemic sclerosis in its diffuse cutaneous form with acute and rapid progression of the cutaneous condition, without any systemic manifestations and the infrequent formation of bullae, showing the importance of diagnosis and early treatment in such cases. This case also shows that special measures should be taken for bullous cutaneous lesions and ulcerations resulting from serious sclerosis, which are entry points and increase morbidity and risk of death. Other prognostic factors include age, ESR and renal and pulmonary involvement. Capillaroscopies can be useful predictors of greater severity of systemic scleroderma, revealing a greater link with systemic, rather than cutaneous, involvement.

Do you know this syndrome? Berardinelli-Seip syndrome.

Berardinelli-Seip syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by inadequate metabolism and inefficient storing of lipids in fat cells, generating accumulation of fat in organs such as the liver, spleen, pancreas, heart, arterial endothelium and skin. Classically, patients manifest generalized lipoatrophy at birth or until 2 years of age, and in adolescence usually develop marked insulin resistance with rapid progression to diabetes and dyslipidemia. We report the case of a 17-year-old Berardinelli-Seip syndrome patient with eruptive xanthoma associated with severe hypertriglyceridemia. It is worth noting Eruptive xanthoma as a dermatological manifestation that is not generally highlighted in the reports of cases of this genetic metabolic disorder.

Case for diagnosis.

Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disorder of unknown etiology that most commonly affects the female genitalia. Cutaneous involvement with nonhaemorrhagic bullous is very unusual. We describe a case of bullous lichen sclerosus.

Granuloma annulare on the palms in an elderly patient

Abstract: Granuloma annulare is a relatively common, idiopathic, benign inflammatory dermatosis, with a varied clinical presentation that often makes diagnosis difficult. It mainly affects the extremities, such as the dorsa of the hands and feet, forearms and legs. Palmar and plantar regions are generally spared. It occurs mainly in young female patients. The presentation of the palmar variant in an elderly patient is a rarity.

Sarcoidosis simulating syringomas.

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. The skin is commonly affected. Cutaneous manifestations can mimic other diseases and autoimmune disorders. The dermatologist plays a critical role in elucidating the clinical diagnosis and assisting other specialists in the investigation of a systemic disease. We report a patient with typical cutaneous manifestation of sarcoidosis with pulmonary involvement.

Case for diagnosis.

Vascular leiomyoma are uncommon benign smooth muscle tumors which generally present as a single painful nodule in the lower limbs. We report a case of vascular leiomyoma on the second finger of the left hand, an unusual location for this tumor.

DRESS: relato de caso com estudo genético / DRESS syndrome: case report with genetic testin

A síndrome de hipersensibilidade a drogas com eosinofilia e sintomas sistêmicos (DRESS) é uma rara reação adversa a drogas com potencial de morte e sequelas em longo prazo. Os anticonvulsivantes aromáticos estão entre os medicamentos mais relacionados. Relatamos um caso de DRESS em associação com o alelo HLA-A*31:01, destacando aspectos clínico-laboratoriais, abordagem diagnóstica e acompanhamento ambulatorial de sequelas tardias. Homem com 69 anos, natural do Japão, internado com suspeita clínica de DRESS. Havia iniciado carbamazepina 4 semanas antes do rash cutâneo para tratamento de epilepsia. Apresentou biópsia cutânea compatível com farmacodermia. O paciente foi tratado com prednisolona por 4 meses. A tipagem HLA-A-B-DRB1 por PCR-RSSO (ONE LAMBDA) e SSP alelo específico revelou HLA relacionado a reações de hipersensibilidade à carbamazepina. O teste de contato realizado com carbamazepina a 10% no primeiro ano após a reação foi positivo. A restrição futura da classe de anticonvulsivantes aromáticos foi recomendada. Oito meses após a aparente resolução clínica da DRESS, o paciente desenvolveu aumento dos anticorpos antitireoideanos e doença de Hashimoto. Treze meses após a o início da reação, foi observado aumento nos títulos de FAN, sem manifestações clínicas. Este relato de caso descreve aspectos clínico-laboratoriais típicos de DRESS relativos ao diagnóstico clínico-laboratorial e histopatológico, bem como evolução clínica em curto e longo prazos. A abordagem farmacogenética e o teste de contato foram importantes para a confirmação da imputabilidade da carbamazepina na etiologia da DRESS.

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS syndrome) is a rare, potentially fatal adverse reaction to drugs that may have long-term sequelae. Aromatic anticonvulsants are among the drugs most commonly associated with DRESS. We report a case of DRESS associated with allele HLA-A*31:01, with emphasis on clinical and laboratory findings, the diagnostic approach adopted, and outpatient follow-up of late sequelae. A 69-year old Japanese male patient was admitted with a clinical suspicion of DRESS. He had started carbamazepine treatment for epilepsy 4 weeks before the rash. He presented skin biopsy compatible with pharmacodermia. The patient was treated with prednisolone for 4 months. HLA-A-B-DRB1 typing using the PCRRSSO technique (ONE LAMBDA) and specific SSP allele revealed HLA related to hypersensitivity reactions to carbamazepine. The skin test performed with carbamazepine 10% on the first day after the reaction resulted positive. Future restriction of aromatic anticonvulsants was recommended. Eight months after the apparent clinical resolution of DRESS, the patient showed increased levels of antithyroid antibodies and Hashimoto disease. Thirteen months after the onset of the reaction, increased FAN results were observed, with no clinical manifestations. This case report describes clinical and laboratory aspects of DRESS related to clinical, laboratory, and histopathological diagnosis, as well as clinical evolution in the short and long terms. The pharmacogenetic approach and the skin test were important to confirm the imputability of carbamazepine in the etiology of DRESS.

Rare cutaneous metastasis from a probable basaloid carcinoma of the colon mimicking pyogenic granuloma.

Acrometastasis is a rare occurrence, especially when affecting the hands. It represents around 0.007-0.2% of all metastatic lesions. The most common site of origin is the lung, accounting for 40-50% of all cases reported in the literature. Kidneys and breasts are other sites also associated with neoplastic lesions that disseminate to the hands. More rarely, the site of origin may be the gastrointestinal tract or other systemic tumors or sarcomas. Early diagnosis is difficult, since the condition may be asymptomatic or may mimic tenosynovitis, arthritis, paronychia, pyogenic granuloma or a local infection. In the present paper, the authors report on a patient with the diagnosis of acrometastasis on both hands originating from a basaloid carcinoma of the anal canal. Response to radiotherapy was poor.

Mucous membrane pemphigoid with severe esophageal stricture.

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare nosological entity. MMP consists of a clinical phenotype in which several autoimmune subepidermal bullous diseases are classified. It occurs predominantly in the mucous membranes and usually results in scarring. Esophageal involvement in MMP is rare and is generally seen in patients in whom lesions are widespread. The most common alterations are multiple esophageal membranes or strictures. In the present case, the authors report on a patient with MMP without any skin lesions and with severe esophageal strictures who went into remission following use of intravenous immunoglobulin.