Interesting study that suggests that Vitamin D levels are relatively low in children with severe eczema. Whether the link between Vitamin D and eczema is a true causal link (i.e. low vitamin D levels worsen eczema) or just an association (because children with severe eczema might not have natural sunlight exposure as they are confined […]
This article below reminds dermatologists to consider the role of tonsillectomy and gluten-free diet, for the treatment of palmoplantar pustulosis, a variant of psoriasis. Tonsillectomy and gluten-free diet have been shown to cure this condition in select patient groups. They might not work for everyone, but certainly worth considering. Management of palmoplantar pustulosis: do we […]
This article is an update on the treatment of toe nail fungal infections. Toenail fungal infections are difficult to treat and often a 9-12 month treatment with toxic antifungal drugs is necessary. In recent years dermatologists have been favouring pulsed regimes as they are less toxic to the body and of comparable efficacy. This meta […]
Artificial fingernails can damage your nail. These dermatologists below report an unusual case of a 49 year old lady who developed discoloured and deformed nails (nail dystrophy) from using acrylic nails. Allergy testing revealed she was allergic to ‘acrylics’, present in the artificial nail. Acrylic allergy is not very common but women using artificial nails […]
A couple of interesting articles were published recently on the topic of ‘Probiotics for Eczema’. The extract from the commentary below sums it all. There simply isn’t enough evidence yet to prove whether probiotics work in preventing eczema or not. But yes, there is no harm in taking them if you want to. However it […]
An excellent review article for the benefit of Dermatologists and cutaneous lupus erythematosus patients. The key points being: 1. Upto 28% of patients with discoid lupus erythematosus develop systemic lupus (SLE) 2. over 70% of patients who progress from DLE to SLE, do so within 5 years of diagnosis 3. Risk factors include widespread […]
Vitiligo is a dreadful disease, especially in dark skinned individuals. This study below discusses a new treatment for vitiligo (laser dermabrasion combined with steroid creams and phototherapy). Though the results are very promising, the high pain scores and poor patient satisfaction scores, dampen our enthusiasm and excitement. But this is still quite promising. Effect of […]
Good research article that shows that a drug called methotrexate can also be used successfully for the treatment of severe eczema. This drug is grossly underused for eczema patients. A randomized trial of methotrexate vs. azathio… [Br J Dermatol. 2012] – PubMed – NCBI. Abstract AIM: Schram et al. aimed to compare the efficacy and […]
Interesting research article that proves that food avoidance in most forms of urticaria, is unnecessary. Prevalence of food avoidance and food allergy in Chinese patients with chronic urticaria – Hsu – 2012 – British Journal of Dermatology – Wiley Online Library. Summary Background? Food avoidance is common among Chinese patients with chronic urticaria because food allergy is considered to […]