A Nationwide, Multicentric Case-Control Study on Vitiligo (MEDEC-V) to Elicit the Magnitude and Correlates.

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired, idiopathic, and common depigmentation disorder. The values of various epidemiologic parameters are often doubtful due to the methodological weaknesses of the studies. AIMS: To elicit the magnitude of various epidemiological parameters and important correlates of vitiligo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Every vitiligo patient attending the outpatient department of medical colleges spread over most of the Indian states were examined over a period of 1 year. Various epidemiological and clinical variables were examined and compared with age and sex-matched controls (registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India CTRI/2017/06/008854). RESULTS: A total of 4,43,275 patients were assessed in 30 medical colleges from 21 Indian states. Institutional prevalence of vitiligo was 0.89% (0.86% in males and 0.93% in females, P < 0.001). The mean age at presentation and mean age at onset were 30.12 ± 17.97 years and 25.14 ± 7.48 years, respectively. Head-neck was the most common primary site (n = 1648, 41.6%) and most commonly affected site (n = 2186, 55.17%). Most cases had nonsegmental vitiligo (n = 2690, 67.89%). The disease started before 20 years of age in more than 46% of cases. About 77% of all cases had signs of instability during the last 1 year. The family history, consanguinity, hypothyroid disorders, and depressed mood were significantly (P < 0.001) higher among the cases. First, second, and third-degree family members were affected in 269 (60.04%), 111 (24.78%), and 68 (15.18%) cases, respectively. Work-related exposure to chemicals was significantly higher among cases (P < 0.008). Obesity was less common among vitiligo cases [P < 0.001, odds ratio (OR) 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.71-0.86]. CONCLUSION: This is one of the largest studies done on vitiligo in India. The prevalence of vitiligo was found to be 0.89% among hospital attendees. Prevalence of vitiligo was higher among females than in males and prevalence of family history, consanguinity, hypothyroid disorders were higher in vitiligo than among controls.

Tripe Palms and Acanthosis Nigricans: A Clue for Diagnosis of Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

Tripe palms is an unusual cutaneous paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by a curious rugose thickening of the palms with an accentuation of the normal dermatoglyphic ridges and sulci. Tripe palms alone or in combination with acanthosis nigricans is strongly associated with internal malignancy, especially carcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract and lung. Any patient with tripe palms must have a complete cancer workup, as in many of the cases it often precedes the malignancy by many months. We report a rare case of tripe palms with acanthosis nigricans in a 50-year-old man with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Although relatively rare, an early diagnosis is very important to find out underlying malignancy and to improve the prognosis related to the neoplasia.

Thyroxine-Induced Preradial Myxedema.

Localized myxedema is most commonly described in patients with hyperthyroidism, especially Graves' disease. Although pretibial myxedema generally appears as indurated plaques on the shins, it has also been rarely reported in other areas such as the face, shoulders, arms, and abdomen. We report a rare case of preradial myxedema in a hyperthyroid patient who was taking thyroxine post thyroidectomy for goiter. To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first case of preradial myxedema, due to long-term intake of thyroxine, reported in the English dermatological literature.

Epidemiology of Subcutaneous Mycoses in Northeast India: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Subcutaneous mycoses, although rare, are frequently reported from northeast India. Their spectrum varies with geographic region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated clinical records and histopathological features of subcutaneous mycoses cases seen during April 2013 to March 2017. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients (44 males and 26 females) of subcutaneous mycoses were analyzed. Sixty-one percent of patients were 20-60 years old. Duration of the disease ranged from 3 months to 25 years. Most common site of involvement was the lower limb (32, 46%), followed by the upper limb (25, 36%). A history of trauma was obtained from 76% of patients. Eighty-seven percent of patients were from rural area. Ninety-two percent of patients were agricultural workers. There were 30 established cases of chromoblastomycosis and 16 cases of sporotrichosis. In 24 cases, subcutaneous mycosis was suspected clinically and showed some improvement to empirical itraconazole therapy. Multifocal lesions were seen in six patients. Complication of subcutaneous mycoses in the form of invasive squamous cell carcinoma was seen in one patient. On histopathological examination, verrucous hyperplasia was seen in 93% of cases. Granulomas with suppuration were seen in 77% of cases and granulomas without suppuration were seen in 14.3% of cases. Copper penny bodies were appreciated in 42.8% of cases. Fungal culture was positive only in 55.7% of cases. There was growth of Sporothrix schenckii in 16 patients, Fonsecaea sp. in 19, Cladosporium sp. in 3, and Curvularia sp. in 1. CONCLUSION: Chromoblastomycosis was the most common subcutaneous mycoses seen in northeast India followed by sporotrichosis. The diagnosis remained a challenge in a few cases as the culture positivity was very low. Suppurative granulomas in histopathology played a corroborative role. Therapeutic trial of itraconazole for 2 months was worth trying in such cases.

Tattoo Practices in North-East India: A Hospital-based Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Tattooing has become increasingly popular, particularly among young people. However, little is known about the tattoo practices in North-East India. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to know the reasons and motivations of tattoo application and tattoo removal in individuals asking for tattoo removal. The secondary objective was to identify the demography, methods and safety of tattoo practices in these tattooed individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out in 212 consecutive individuals seeking tattoo removal. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were performed for intergroup comparisons. RESULTS: There were 178 (84%) males and 34 (16%) females. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of individuals seeking tattoo removal was 21.8 ± 4 years. The mean ± SD age of doing tattoo was 15.8 ± 3 years. Most individuals possessed an amateur tattoo (94.3%), 4.2% a professional one and 1.4% had a combination. Sewing needle was the most common instrument used for making tattoos in 51.4%. The individuals made their tattoos in an unsterile manner in 49.1%. The most common reason for doing tattoo was for fashion in 87.7%. The participants wanted tattoo removal to qualify for jobs, especially in armed forces in 49.5% and due to regret in 21.7%. Black was the most preferred colour in 37.3% followed by green in 28.3%. The fabric ink was the choice of ink in maximum number of individuals, i.e. 93.9%. LIMITATIONS: It was a hospital-based study done only on individuals seeking tattoo removal. It needs caution to generalise the findings in population. In addition, there may be recall bias in the participants. CONCLUSION: The tattoo was done mostly below 18 years of age in a crude unsterile way. The individuals had poor risk perceptions about various infections and complications of tattooing. There is an urgent need to caution and educate the youngsters and school-going children about safe tattooing and consequences of tattooing.

Clinical, Trichoscopic, and Histopathological Features of Primary Cicatricial Alopecias: A Retrospective Observational Study at a Tertiary Care Centre of North East India.

BACKGROUND: The primary cicatricial alopecias (PCAs) are a rare group of diseases where hair follicle is the primary target of destruction. There are a few studies on histopathological and trichoscopic features of PCA. AIMS: To study the clinical, trichoscopic, and histopathological characteristics of PCAs of the scalp and to find out the concordance between trichoscopic and histopathological diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, trichoscopic, and histopathological features of 24 PCA patients. Fisher's Chi-square exact test was done to find the significant trichoscopic and histopathological features. Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to determine the agreement between histopathological and trichoscopic diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients of PCA were seen with a male: female ratio of 2:1. There were 10 (41.7%) patients of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), 5 (20.8%) of lichen planopilaris (LPP), 3 (12.5%) of dissecting cellulitis of scalp, and 2 (8.3%) each of pseudopelade of brocq, folliculitis decalvans, and frontal fibrosing alopecia. The important histopathological findings of DLE were follicular plugging, vacuolar changes in the basal layer, necrotic keratinocytes, and superficial and deep perifollicular and perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate. Histopathology of LPP showed vacuolar changes in the basal layer and lichenoid infiltrate involving the infundibulum and isthmus. Trichoscopy of DLE showed follicular plugging, yellow dots, and thick arborizing blood vessels. The peripilar cast was important finding in LPP. The characteristic yellow dot with three-dimensional structure was noted in dissecting cellulitis of the scalp. The Cohen's kappa agreement was 0.89 between histopathological and trichoscopic diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of PCA is challenging because of overlapping features clinically and histopathologically. Trichoscopy may provide quick and reliable diagnosis and obviate the necessity of scalp biopsy in busy clinics.

Perforating pilomatricoma in a 62-year-old female: a rare case report.

Pilomatricoma presents as a single, slow-growing, painless, superficial mass arising from the hair matrix cells, over the hair-bearing areas of the body, especially the head and neck. Perforating pilomatricoma is a rare variant of pilomatricoma presenting as crusted or ulcerated nodule. Here, we report a case of 62-year-old female presenting with rapidly growing noduloulcerative lesion on the left cheek, which on histopathology showed perforating pilomatricoma.

Extensive tonsure pattern trichotillomania-trichoscopy and histopathology aid to the diagnosis.

Trichotillomania manifests as a compulsive desire to pull out own hair. The clinical presentation of trichotillomania is usually characteristic, with varying length hair distributed within areas of alopecia on otherwise normal scalp. In severe forms, tonsure pattern of baldness results, involving the entire scalp sparing the hair at the margins. Extensive tonsure pattern trichotillomania is rare and difficult to differentiate from other nonscarring alopecias on clinical grounds alone. Trichoscopy and histopathology of scalp play a corroborative role in definitive diagnosis. We hereby report two cases of extensive tonsure pattern trichotillomania, with special reference to their trichoscopic and histopathological features.

Multifocal childhood cutaneous tuberculosis: report of two interesting cases from Sikkim, India.

Cutaneous tuberculosis is an important health problem in developing countries such as India. Poverty, overcrowding, malnutrition, and ignorance are predisposing factors. The commonly seen variants of cutaneous tuberculosis are scrofuloderma, lupus vulgaris, and tuberculosis verrucosa cutis. Malnourished children may present with unusual forms of cutaneous tuberculosis. Herein we report two interesting cases of multifocal cutaneous tuberculosis in malnourished children.

A clinicopathological study of cutaneous tuberculosis at Dibrugarh district, Assam.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous tuberculosis forms a small subset of extra pulmonary tuberculosis and has a worldwide distribution. AIMS: The present study is an attempt to find out the incidence, clinical spectrum, and histopathological features of cutaneous tuberculosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 42 cases of newly diagnosed patients of cutaneous tuberculosis attending dermatology out patient department over a period of 1 year were included in the study. A detailed clinical examination and investigations including histopathological examination were carried out. RESULTS: Scrofuloderma was the most common form seen in 50% cases followed by lupus vulgaris in 42.86%, tuberculosis verrucosa cutis in 4.76%, and lichen scrofulosorum in 2.38% cases. The Mantoux test was positive in 83.33% cases. Characteristic tuberculoid granulomas were seen in 72.22% cases of lupus vulgaris, 42.86% cases of scrofuloderma and all cases of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis and lichen scrofulosorum. CONCLUSION: Cutaneous tuberculosis is still highly prevalent in upper Assam. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent its complications.

Idiopathic eruptive macular pigmentation with papillomatosis.

We present a case of an otherwise healthy 10-year-old girl who presented with asymptomatic brown macules over the trunk and proximal extremities, of three months' duration. The cutaneous examination revealed multiple, dark brown, discrete, round to oval macules and a few mildly elevated lesions over the trunk and proximal limbs. The individual lesion was 1-3 cm in diameter and a few showed velvety appearance over the surface. Darier's sign was negative. The histopathological study from the velvety lesion showed acanthosis, papillomatosis and increased melanin in the basal layer. The upper dermis showed sparse perivascular infiltrate of lymphocytes without any dermal melanophages. It fulfilled the criteria for idiopathic eruptive macular pigmentation with additional histological finding of papillomatosis.