Molluscum contagiosum-like lesions in histoid leprosy in a 10-year-old Indian boy.

Histoid leprosy is extremely rare in children. Molluscum contagiosum-like lesions in the setting of histoid leprosy is a highly atypical presentation and may signify the process of "transepidermal elimination" in lesions with high bacillary load. A case of histoid leprosy with umbilicated papules and nodules mimicking molluscum contagiosum is reported in a 10-year-old Indian boy.

Mucocutaneous Manifestations in Children with Thalassemia: An Observational Study.

Thalassemia syndromes are a group of autosomal, recessively inherited, single-gene hemoglobinopathies with varied mucocutaneous manifestations. There is, however, a scarcity of these findings in the literature. This descriptive observational cross-sectional study was conducted to describe mucocutaneous manifestations in multi-transfused beta-thalassemia major children. The study comprised 68 thalassemia major children attending the thalassemia unit for blood transfusion at a tertiary care hospital in North India. A dermatologist conducted a detailed examination to look into the presence of any mucocutaneous manifestations, including disorders of the hair and nails. The age range of enrolled thalassemic children was 6 months-19 years, with an average age of 10.5 years; the boy versus girl ratio was 1.72:1. All enrolled children had at least one cutaneous manifestation. Common dermatologic manifestations observed in these patients included hyperpigmentation of the knuckles (60.2%), moderate pallor (42.6%), icterus (26.4%), lusterless hair (20.5%), leukonychia striata or horizontal white streaks on the nails (14.7%), and oral ulcers (10.2%). A careful evaluation of mucocutaneous manifestations, including disorders of the hair and nails, is required in multi-transfused thalassemic children to provide an early diagnosis of dermatologic manifestations.

Severe cutaneous zygomycosis due to Basidiobolus ranarum in a young infant.

Basidiobolomycosis classically presents as a noninflammatory, nonulcerated, nontender woody indurated mass without much contiguous spread. It is almost always seen in an immunocompetent host younger than 20. We report a case of a 9-month-old baby with a rapidly expanding malignant presentation of basidiobolomycosis with nonhealing ulcers and spread to underlying muscles, mimicking lymphoma. She responded poorly to itraconazole alone but showed dramatic improvement with a combination therapy of itraconazole and potassium iodide. The case also highlights an early acquisition of the infection at 1 month of age.

Amyloidosis cutis dyschromica: a rare pigmentary disorder.

Amyloidosis cutis dyschromica represents a rare type of primary cutaneous amyloidosis with few reported cases worldwide. It is characterized by asymptomatic, generalized hyperpigmentation with intermingled hypopigmented macules without atrophy or telangiectasia. We report herein a 19-year-old female who developed this pigmentary abnormality at 4 years of age. Her aunt and great grandfather also had similar skin pigmentation. An unusual finding in our patient was the presence of papules in addition to characteristic macules. Amyloid deposits were shown histopathologically in both dyschromic macules and papules.

CHILD syndrome with thrombocytosis and congenital dislocation of hip: A case report from India.

Congenital Hemidysplasia with Ichthyosiform Nevus and Limb Defects (CHILD) is a very rare entity inherited as an X-linked trait. The cutaneous lesions are characteristic and usually involve the right side of the body. We report a case of CHILD syndrome in an Indian child affecting the left side with various other associations not yet described in the literature, such as thrombocytosis and congenital dislocation of the hip. The rarity of the syndrome prompted us to report this case.

Gender differences in depression and anxiety among atopic dermatitis patients.

BACKGROUND: Dermatological patients invariably suffer one or the other psychological problems which may escalate to the extent of a mental disorder. One of the most common dermatological disorders is atopic dermatitis (AD), but the literature has limited data on gender differences for psychiatric morbidity in such patients. AIMS: To evaluate and compare gender differences in the prevalence of depression and anxiety in AD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study with consecutive sampling was done in an outpatient clinic of Dermatology at a Tertiary Care Center. AD subjects giving informed consent were evaluated on a brief semi-structured performa for collecting demographic and clinical information. Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) was used to assess the presence of psychiatric symptoms in these patients. Descriptive analysis was done for the socio-demographic profile and independent sample t-test, Chi-square and Cramer's V test was carried out to find in-between group differences for males and females. RESULTS: A total of 81 patients were included in the final analysis (males = 36, females = 45) with no significant difference in mean age between male and female subjects (36.14 ± 17.62 and 33.98 ± 14.49 years, respectively; P = 0.54). When including moderate to severe grade of depression or anxiety, the current study found prevalence rates of 15% and 12% respectively. Females had significantly more anxiety and depression scores than males (P = 0.04 and P = 0.03 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: There is a female preponderance of depression and anxiety disorder in AD patients.

Speckled lentiginous nevus syndrome with median nerve paresis: A rare syndrome with a new association.

Speckled lentiginous nevus (SLN) represents a mosaic phenotype which consists of café au lait macule superimposed by melanocytic nevi. Recently, SLN syndrome has been characterized where ipsilateral neurological abnormalities have been reported in association with SLN with papular type of melanocytic nevi only. This case describes the presence of ipsilateral thenar muscle atrophy with median nerve paresis in nevus spilus which had melanocytic nevi of the macular type alone, thus delineating a new association in SLN syndrome, hitherto unreported.

Infantile hemangioma: an update.

Infantile hemangiomas (IH) are neoplastic proliferations of endothelial cells, characterized by a period of growth after birth, and eventual spontaneous involution. The course can be uneventful, culminating in spontaneous resolution; or it may be marked by complications such as bleeding; ulceration; infection; visual, feeding and breathing compromise; cosmetic and life-threatening complications such as congestive heart failure. Recognition of associated syndromes and impending complications of hemangiomas is of utmost importance. Great advances have taken place in the nomenclature, pathogenesis, immunohistochemistry, diagnostic workup and management of hemangiomas in the recent years. This article reviews current advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnostic tools, medical and surgical modalities of treatment for infantile hemangiomas.