[Plaque-like leiomyomas on a chemical burn: First case report]. / Léiomyomes en plaque sur brûlure chimique : première observation.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leiomyomas are uncommon benign smooth muscle neoplasms of skin of unknown pathogenesis. We report a sporadic case of multiple cutaneous leiomyomas at the site of a chemical burn. OBSERVATION: A 47-year-old male presented with multiple grouped red nodules on the right calf painful to cold and to touch. The lesions were located on the site of a chemical wound that had occurred 5 years earlier. Histopathological examination revealed a proliferation of smooth muscle fibres, leading to diagnosis of leiomyoma. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, the literature contains no previous reports of sporadic multiple cutaneous leiomyomas occurring at a chemical burn site. While a chance association cannot be ruled out, there is also the possibility of a physiopathological mechanism similar to that of vascular tumours following exposure to 4-hydrazinobenzoic acid. This compound, a hydrazine derivative of the fungus Agaricus bisporus, can cause smooth-muscle tumours in the aorta and large vessels with morphological characteristics similar to those seen in vascular leiomyomas.

Psoriasis, cardiovascular events, cancer risk and alcohol use: evidence-based recommendations based on systematic review and expert opinion.

The relationship between psoriasis, chronic inflammation, cardiovascular risk and risk of cancer has long been debated. In addition, it has been suggested that alcohol consumption may be a risk factor for psoriasis onset and severity. The aim of this study was to develop evidence-based recommendations on the risk of comorbidities and its management for daily clinical use, focusing on cardiovascular risk, risk of cancer and alcohol use in psoriasis. A scientific committee identified and selected through the Delphi method clinically relevant questions about cardiovascular risk, risk of cancer and alcohol use in psoriasis. To address these questions, a systematic literature search was performed in Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library databases. Systematic literature reviews including meta-analysis whenever possible were performed. Subsequently, an Expert board meeting involving 39 dermatologists took place to analyse the evidence and to elaborate recommendations on the selected questions. Recommendations were graded according to the Oxford level of evidence grading system. The degree of agreement of these recommendations was assessed on a 10-point scale, as well as their potential impact on daily clinical practice. A total of 3242 articles were identified through the systematic literature searches, among which 110 were included in the systematic reviews. Overall, 12 recommendations were elaborated regarding comorbidities management in psoriasis patients. A moderate increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), mainly myocardial infarction (MI) [meta-analysis of cohort studies: OR = 1.25 (95% CI 1.03-1.52) and of cross-sectional studies: OR = 1.57 (95% CI 1.08-2.27)], and coronary artery disease (CAD) [meta-analysis of cross-sectional: OR = 1.19 (95% CI 1.14-1.24), of cohort studies: OR = 1.20 (95% CI 1.13-1.27) and of case-control studies: OR = 1.84 (95% CI 1.09-3.09)] was acknowledged. This increased cardiovascular risk requires appropriate prevention measures. There was a lack of substantial evidence that conventional systemic treatment has any effect on cardiovascular risk although methotrexate might be cardioprotective. An increased risk of solid cancer potentially associated with smoking and alcohol use was identified. The role of systemic treatment on cancer risk could not be assessed thoroughly due to limited long-term follow-up data. A higher risk of non-melanoma skin cancers especially squamous cell carcinoma was shown, mainly due to previous exposure to oral 8-methoxypsoralen-ultraviolet-A (PUVA), ciclosporin and possibly methotrexate. No firm conclusion could be drawn regarding alcohol and psoriasis due to high variability in alcohol usage assessment in studies. Clinical experience suggests higher alcohol consumption among psoriasis patients compared to the general population. The mean expert participants' level of agreement on these recommendations varied from 6.8 to 9.4. These 12 recommendations are evidence based and supported by a panel of expert dermatologists. The next step is now to disseminate these recommendations to dermatologists who did not participate in the Expert board meeting and to assess their opinion about the recommendations.

Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: a systematic literature review.

UNLABELLED: Previous epidemiological studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in psoriasis patients, including metabolic syndrome, cigarette smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia. An increase in CV morbidity and mortality attributable to psoriasis is still under question. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: to assess CV morbidity and mortality in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) including stroke, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction (MI) and peripheral artery disease. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: to assess if psoriasis per se is an independent CV risk factor and if psoriasis severity is a predictor of CV risk. We also evaluated the effect of conventional systemic treatments for psoriasis on CV mortality. A systematic literature search was carried out from 1980 to December 2011, in the Embase, Medline and Cochrane Library databases, in English and French using a combination of keywords including (Psoriasis) OR (Psoriatic arthritis) AND (Myocardial infarction) OR (Coronaropathy) OR (Stroke) OR (Cardiovascular) AND (Methotrexate) AND (Ciclosporin) AND (Retinoids). Of the 929 identified references, 33 observational studies evaluating the rates of cardiovascular events (CVE) in patients with psoriasis and PsA compared with controls were selected. Meta-analysis of both cohort and cross-sectional studies showed an increased risk of MI with Odds Ratio (OR) of 1.25 (95% CI 1.03-1.52) and 1.57 (95% CI 1.08-2.27) in psoriasis and PsA, respectively, compared with the general population. The risk of MI was more pronounced for patients having severe psoriasis and for patients with psoriasis of early onset. It remained significantly elevated after controlling for major CV risk factors. The meta-analysis identified a small, but significant association between psoriasis, PsA and coronary artery disease with an OR between 1.19 (95% CI 1.14-1.24) for cross-sectional studies, 1.20 (95% CI 1.13-1.27) for cohort studies and 1.84 (95% CI 1.09-3.09) for case-control studies. The risk of coronary artery disease seemed to be more pronounced in patients with severe psoriasis and in patients with psoriasis of early onset. The meta-analysis assessing the risk of stroke gave inconclusive results: analysis of cross-sectional studies suggested that psoriasis patients had a slightly higher risk of stroke with an OR of 1.14 (95% CI 1.08-1.99), whereas the meta-analysis of cohort studies failed to show an association. There was also an increased risk of peripheral artery disease in psoriasis. No significant increased risk of CV mortality could be shown for both psoriasis and PsA patients. The use of methotrexate was associated with a reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease in two studies. The use of etretinate was associated with a reduction of CV mortality in one study. Potential selection bias such as the 'healthy user effect' prevents from drawing definite conclusions. There may be a small, but significant increased risk of CVE, but not of CV mortality in psoriasis and PsA patients. The psoriasis attributable risk remains difficult to assess due to confounding factors. The moderate quality of CV risk factors reporting in studies should be acknowledged. In addition, heterogeneity in study design, outcome definition and assessment represent major limitations. Nevertheless, screening and management of CV risk factors are important in psoriasis.

Alcohol consumption and psoriasis: a systematic literature review.

The association between alcohol consumption and psoriasis has been frequently discussed since the 1980s, but no systematic review has been elaborated on the subject so far. The aim of this systematic literature review was to assess whether alcohol consumption is more prevalent in psoriasis patients than in the general population and whether alcohol consumption is a risk factor of psoriasis. A systematic literature search was carried out in the Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases using the keywords 'psoriasis' AND 'alcohol drinking' OR 'alcohol-related disorders'. The search was then enlarged with the keywords 'psoriasis' AND 'risk factor' OR 'comorbidity'. Altogether 911 references in English and French were found. Out of these, 837 articles were excluded by reading the abstract and 46 by reading the article. A total of 28 articles were selected. Alcohol consumption in psoriasis patients versus the general population: 23 studies were selected; 18 concluded that alcohol consumption was more prevalent in psoriasis patients, and 5 did not. Three studies compared the prevalence of excessive drinking using a questionnaire on alcohol dependence (CAGE or Self-administered alcohol screening test (SAAST)) or with quantitative criteria for excessive drinking. In these studies, excessive drinking was more prevalent among psoriasis patients than in the general population. Other articles studied the quantity and type of alcohol consumed. In 11 studies, psoriasis patients consumed more alcohol than the controls. Four other studies showed excessive alcohol consumption in psoriasis patients without control group comparison. Conversely, five studies identified no difference in alcohol consumption between psoriasis patients and the general population. The heterogeneity in the measurement of alcohol consumption did not allow performing meta-analysis. Alcohol as a risk factor for psoriasis: only five studies were selected. In four of these studies alcohol was found to be a risk factor for psoriasis. Alcohol consumption seems to be greater in psoriasis patients than in the general population. However, there is not enough evidence to establish whether alcohol consumption is indeed a risk factor for psoriasis.

Risk of cancer in psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies.

The relationship between psoriasis and increased cancer risk is debated. The aim of this study was to evaluate if there is an increase in the background risk of cancer in psoriasis patients compared with the general population. A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases, using the keywords 'Psoriasis [Majr] AND Neoplasms', from 1980 to January 2012. Meta-analysis was performed based on observational studies showing consistency in cancer risk assessment methods. Of the 1080 articles retrieved, 37 references were selected. There may be an increased risk of some solid cancers in psoriasis: respiratory tract cancer [standardized incidence ratio (SIR) = 1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35-1.71], upper aerodigestive tract cancer (SIR = 3.05, 95% CI 1.74-5.32), urinary tract cancer (SIR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.11-1.55) and liver cancer (SIR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.48-2.44). The risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma appears slightly increased in psoriasis (SIR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.06-1.86). Psoriasis patients have an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SIR = 5.3, 95% CI 2.63-10.71) and basal cell carcinoma (SIR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.83-2.20), whereas the risk of melanoma is not increased. There was a large heterogeneity in studies assessing cancer risk in psoriasis preventing from including all studies in meta-analysis. This systematic literature review shows a small increased risk of some solid cancers in psoriasis, especially those linked to alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking. A higher risk of non-melanoma skin cancers, especially squamous cell carcinoma, is shown, mainly due to previous exposure to 8-methoxypsoralen-ultraviolet-A (PUVA), ciclosporin and possibly methotrexate.