Secukinumab responses vary across the spectrum of congenital ichthyosis in adults.

IMPORTANCE: Treatment of congenital ichthyoses primarily focuses on reversing skin scaling and is not pathogenesis based. Recent studies showed Th17 immune skewing, as in psoriasis, across the spectrum of ichthyosis, suggesting that targeting this pathway might broadly reduce disease severity. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether secukinumab, an IL-17A inhibitor, can improve ichthyosis across several congenital ichthyosis subtypes. DESIGN: Exploratory 16-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial comparing secukinumab 300 mg every 4wks to placebo (1:1 randomization) in adults with the four major congenital ichthyosis subtypes (NCT03041038), followed by a 16-week open-label phase to evaluate response of the placebo-first group and a 20-week extension for safety. Significant differences in secukinumab- vs. placebo-treated subjects at Wk16 in the Ichthyosis Area Severity Index (IASI) score and lack of increased mucocutaneous bacterial and/or fungal infections were the co-primary efficacy and safety endpoints, respectively. SETTING: Two tertiary referral centers: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, and Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty subjects ≥ 18 yo with genotype-confirmed epidermolytic ichthyosis, Netherton syndrome, lamellar ichthyosis, or congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma with at least moderate erythroderma. RESULTS: IL-17A inhibition did not significantly reduce severity or increase mucocutaneous infections among the 18 who completed the 16-week double-blind phase. Five patients with 29-50% clinical improvement at Wk32 requested drug continuation. Th17-related biomarkers were not significantly reduced vs. baseline or placebo-treated levels. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size; heterogeneous ichthyosis subsets. CONCLUSION: IL-17 inhibition with secukinumab is safe, but not efficacious across the spectrum of adult ichthyoses. GOV REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03041038; first posted on 02/02/2017.

Rapid improvement of skin lesions in CHILD syndrome with topical 5% simvastatin ointment.

Congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects (CHILD) syndrome is a rare X-linked dominant disorder of cholesterol synthesis characterized by unilateral ichthyosiform dermatitis with ipsilateral limb hypoplasia. Recently, pathogenesis-based treatment has demonstrated improvement of skin lesions with statins by decreasing formation of cholesterol intermediates through inhibition of cholesterol synthesis. We report a 10-month-old girl who presented with unilateral scaly ptychotropic plaques, who experienced rapid, near-complete clearance with topical 5% simvastatin monotherapy twice daily.

Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma: A rare neonatal dermatoses responding to acitretin.

Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma is a rare and severe form of ichthyosis manifesting in the neonatal age group. We report a child with diffuse peeling of skin and erythroderma presenting on the 2nd day of birth. With aseptic nursing care along with emollients and oral acitretin, the child's quality of life improved remarkably, hence highlighting the point of early and judicious use of acitretin in reducing disease morbidity.

CHILD syndrome: successful treatment of skin lesions with topical lovastatin and cholesterol lotion.

CHILD syndrome (Congenital Hemidysplasia, Ichthyosiform erythroderma, Limb Defects) is a rare X-linked dominant disease. The authors report a 2-month-old patient presenting with typical features of CHILD syndrome that was treated with a topical solution containing cholesterol and lovastatin, with complete clearance of her CHILD nevus. The changes in skin lipid metabolism that explain the CHILD ichthyosiform nevus and their correction through topical application of cholesterol and lovastatin are discussed.

Cushing disease in a patient with nonbullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma: lessons in avoiding glucocorticoids in ichthyosis.

Nonbullous congenital ichthyosis erythroderma (CIE) is an autosomal recessive disorder of ineffective keratinization. We present a unique case of a 16-year-old female with CIE who developed Cushing disease (CD) at age 13 with concomitant worsening of her skin disease. After transsphenoidal resection of her pituitary adenoma, she had both resolution of her Cushing symptoms and significantly milder skin manifestations of her CIE. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a patient with both CD and CIE, one that is important in demonstrating the role of glucocorticoids in this disorder.

CHILD syndrome: successful treatment of skin lesions with topical lovastatin and cholesterol lotion

Abstract: CHILD syndrome (Congenital Hemidysplasia, Ichthyosiform erythroderma, Limb Defects) is a rare X-linked dominant disease. The authors report a 2-month-old patient presenting with typical features of CHILD syndrome that was treated with a topical solution containing cholesterol and lovastatin, with complete clearance of her CHILD nevus. The changes in skin lipid metabolism that explain the CHILD ichthyosiform nevus and their correction through topical application of cholesterol and lovastatin are discussed.

Isotretinoin treatment of autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis complicated by coexisting dysferlinopathy.

Consanguinity is known to be associated with an increase in the prevalence of autosomal recessive disorders such as autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI). ARCI often responds well to retinoid treatment. We describe a patient with ARCI who improved under isotretinoin treatment. The patient subsequently developed elevated levels of serum creatinine phosphokinase (CPK), which led to the diagnosis of a second autosomal recessive disorder, dysferlinopathy, a rare myopathy characterized by muscle weakness, decreased tendon reflexes and marked elevation of CPK levels. This report demonstrates the need for physicians to remain alert to the possible coexistence of rare and mutually relevant disorders in populations with a high rate of consanguinity.

CHILD Syndrome: Successful Treatment of Skin Lesions with Topical Simvastatin/Cholesterol Ointment--A Case Report.

CHILD syndrome is a rare X-linked dominant condition that presents with congenital hemidysplasia, Ichthyosiform erythroderma, and limb defects in affected patients. We report the case of a 10-year-old girl treated with topical simvastatin and cholesterol ointment, after which her skin lesions significantly improved within the first 30 days of treatment.

Acitretin-responsive ichthyosis in Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome with a novel mutation in the ABHD5/CGI-58 gene.

Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome (CDS) is a rare nonlysosomal neutral lipid storage disorder characterized by congenital ichthyosis, lipid vacuoles in leukocytes (Jordan's anomaly), and hepatomegaly. The authors herein report an 18-month-old boy with ichthyosis and hepatomegaly diagnosed with CDS and confirmed to have a novel c.506-3C>G mutation in the ABHD5/CGI-58 gene. Our case also illustrates that retinoids such as acitretin could be useful in the treatment of skin manifestations in CDS even in the presence of liver derangement.

Abnormal barrier function in the pathogenesis of ichthyosis: therapeutic implications for lipid metabolic disorders.

Ichthyoses, including inherited disorders of lipid metabolism, display a permeability barrier abnormality in which the severity of the clinical phenotype parallels the prominence of the barrier defect. The pathogenesis of the cutaneous phenotype represents the consequences of the mutation for epidermal function, coupled with a "best attempt" by affected epidermis to generate a competent barrier in a terrestrial environment. A compromised barrier in normal epidermis triggers a vigorous set of metabolic responses that rapidly normalizes function, but ichthyotic epidermis, which is inherently compromised, only partially succeeds in this effort. Unraveling mechanisms that account for barrier dysfunction in the ichthyoses has identified multiple, subcellular, and biochemical processes that contribute to the clinical phenotype. Current treatment of the ichthyoses remains largely symptomatic: directed toward reducing scale or corrective gene therapy. Reducing scale is often minimally effective. Gene therapy is impeded by multiple pitfalls, including difficulties in transcutaneous drug delivery, high costs, and discomfort of injections. We have begun to use information about disease pathogenesis to identify novel, pathogenesis-based therapeutic strategies for the ichthyoses. The clinical phenotype often reflects not only a deficiency of pathway end product due to reduced-function mutations in key synthetic enzymes but often also accumulation of proximal, potentially toxic metabolites. As a result, depending upon the identified pathomechanism(s) for each disorder, the accompanying ichthyosis can be treated by topical provision of pathway product (eg, cholesterol), with or without a proximal enzyme inhibitor (eg, simvastatin), to block metabolite production. Among the disorders of distal cholesterol metabolism, the cutaneous phenotype in Congenital Hemidysplasia with Ichthyosiform Erythroderma and Limb Defects (CHILD syndrome) and X-linked ichthyosis reflect metabolite accumulation and deficiency of pathway product (ie, cholesterol). We validated this therapeutic approach in two CHILD syndrome patients who failed to improve with topical cholesterol alone, but cleared with dual treatment with cholesterol plus lovastatin. In theory, the ichthyoses in other inherited lipid metabolic disorders could be treated analogously. This pathogenesis (pathway)-driven approach possesses several inherent advantages: (1) it is mechanism-specific for each disorder; (2) it is inherently safe, because natural lipids and/or approved drugs often are utilized; and (3) it should be inexpensive, and therefore it could be used widely in the developing world.