Demodex infestation as a cause of sensitive skin in a dermatology outpatient clinic.

BACKGROUND: Sensitive skin is subjective cutaneous hyperreactivity to environmental factors. Demodicosis is a skin disorder caused by Demodex mites. There may be a link between demodicosis and sensitive skin. AIM: This study aimed to examine facial Demodex mites density and other factors associated with sensitive skin in patients. METHODS AND METHODS: A total of 349 randomly selected patients presented to the dermatology department. The research data were collected using a questionnaire form that included the participants' sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, a sensitive skin questionnaire, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). Patients underwent standardized superficial skin surface biopsy of 4 areas of the face. D. folliculorum count greater than 5 mites/cm2 was considered positive. RESULTS: In relation to Demodex, there was an increase in skin sensitivity with higher Demodex density (p = 0.04). There was a statistically significant, weak positive correlation between skin sensitivity and DLQI score (r = 0.33, p = 0.00), and there was also a significant but very weak negative correlation between skin sensitivity and EUROHIS (r = -0.164, p = 0.002). Skin sensitivity was more common in patients with a concomitant dermatological disease (p = 0.01) and increased with more frequent cosmetic use (p = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Alongside other risk factors, for the patients presenting with complaints of sensitive skin, investigating Demodex population density may help alleviate sensitive skin symptoms with appropriate therapies and preventive measures.

Epidemiology of Pemphigus in Turkey: One-year Prospective Study of 220 Cases.

Pemphigus is a group of rare and life-threatening autoimmune blistering diseases of the skin and mucous membranes. Although they occur worldwide, their incidence shows wide geographical variation, and prospective data on the epidemiology of pemphigus are very limited. Objective of this work is to evaluate the incidence and epidemiological and clinical features of patients with pemphigus in Turkey. All patients newly diagnosed with pemphigus between June 2013 and June 2014 were prospectively enrolled in 33 dermatology departments in 20 different provinces from all seven regions of Turkey. Disease parameters including demography and clinical findings were recorded. A total of 220 patients were diagnosed with pemphigus during the 1-year period, with an annual incidence of 4.7 per million people in Turkey. Patients were predominantly women, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.41. The mean age at onset was 48.9 years. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) was the commonest clinical subtype (n=192; 87.3%), followed by pemphigus foliaceus (n=21; 9.6%). The most common clinical subtype of PV was the mucocutaneous type (n=83; 43.2%). The mean Pemphigus Disease Area Index was 28.14±22.21 (mean ± Standard Deviation). The incidence rate of pemphigus in Turkey is similar to the countries of South-East Europe, higher than those reported for the Central and Northern European countries and lower than the countries around the Mediterranean Sea and Iran. Pemphigus is more frequent in middle-aged people and is more common in women. The most frequent subtype was PV, with a 9-fold higher incidence than pemphigus foliaceus.

Metabolic syndrome may be an important comorbidity in patients with seborrheic dermatitis.

INTRODUCTION: Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. One of the components of metabolic syndrome is inflammation, and many inflammatory cytokines play a critical role in the disease. The aim of this study is to investigate metabolic syndrome and to evaluate the relationship between the parameters of the disease and disease severity in patients with seborrheic dermatitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients with seborrheic dermatitis and 36 healthy controls were included in the study. The parameters of metabolic syndrome were recorded in both groups. In the patient group, disease severity was determined with the seborrheic dermatitis area and severity index (SDASI). All the venous blood samples were taken at 8 a.m. after 10 h of fasting. RESULTS: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in the patient group were statistically significantly lower than in the controls. There was no significant difference between groups according to other parameters. In terms of history of metabolic disease in first degree relatives (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and dyslipidaemia), 78.7% of those in the patient group (n = 37) and 55.6% of those in the control group (n = 20) had a history of metabolic disease in their families, and the difference between the patient and control groups was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between disease severity and plasma HDL levels (p = 0.033, r = -0.312). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of seborrheic dermatitis may be a predictive factor for metabolic syndrome.

[The incidence of Demodex folliculorum in patients with chronic kidney deficiency]. / Kronik böbrek yetmezligi olan hastalarda Demodex folliculorum görülme sikligi.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Demodex folliculorum in immune suppressed patients. The present study was carried out on individuals being treated for chronic kidney deficiency and immune suppressed patients that were hospitalized in the Hemodialysis Units and Internal Disease Service of the Cumhuriyet University Hospital. Forty-seven patients with chronic kidney deficiency (CKD) and a control group of thirty-eight healthy and actively exercising individuals were included in this investigation. By means of a questionnaire given to the patients and control group, complaints of allergenic related dermal and optical disorders were detected and the prevalence of Demodex was also evaluated by this questionnaire. First, the presence of D. folliculorum was proven taking dermal specimens from the cheek of every individual. Afterwards, at least two eyelash specimens from the lower and upper eyelid-eyelash follicles of the right and left eyes were taken and examined in a drop of olive oil between slide and cover glass microscopically. The frequency of parasites in every preparation was also determined in each positive case. D. folliculorum was found in the eyelid-eyelash follicles of 6 (12.76 %) and 12 (25.53 %) of the dermal face specimens of the 47 chronic kidney deficiency patients. On the other hand, D. folliculorum was found in the eyes of 2 (5.26 %) persons and in the dermal face specimens of 7 (18.42 %) out of a total of 38 persons in the control group. In the present study, the difference in the Demodex prevalence and complaints of dermal disorder in the two groups was found to be insignificant. In the study group, the difference was insignificant as to dermal complaints and Demodex prevalence (p < 0.05), but considerably difference was observed between complaints about eyes and Demodex prevalence (p < 0.05). Consequently, it was concluded that Demodex folliculorum may be a cause of eye disorders such as blepharitis, and this parasite can be frequently observed in persons with immune system anomalies.