BACKGROUND

Hansen’s Disease, a chronic infectious disease, presents with a variety of cutaneous lesions. Being the “great mimicker” that it is, patients may often be misdiagnosed initially, hence the delay in the initiation of the multidrug therapy. Dermoscopy offers an effective, efficient, operator-friendly and non-invasive adjunctive tool in the diagnosis of Hansen’s Disease.

OBJECTIVES

The general objective of the study is to describe the common dermoscopic features according to clinical and histologic findings among all newly diagnosed Hansen’s Disease patients in a tertiary institution within the study period of 6 months.

METHODS

Purposive sampling was applied to include all newly diagnosed and biopsy-proven Hansen’s Disease patients aged 18 years to 65 years. Participants were clinically examined and dermoscopy was performed on a representative lesion. Other data were collected from chart review, acid fast smear and histopathology reports.

RESULTS

The main dermoscopic feature of Hansen’s Disease is yellowish orange areas observed in all 23 cases studied regardless of the spectrum. This feature can be attributed well to the presence of granuloma formation and inflammation. Another common feature is the presence of white globules and dots which correlates to the presence of the grenz zone, while vascular structures correlate with dilated blood vessels on histopathology.

CONCLUSION

The major dermoscopic features seen in the study may add to the clinical clues to arrive at a diagnosis of Hansen’s Disease. Although dermoscopy alone is insufficient for the confirmation of Hansen’s Disease, combining it with physical findings would provide additional basis for its clinical diagnosis.

Human ; Dermoscopy

The World Health Organization declared mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022 and August 2024. To date, the Philippines has reported 15 confirmed cases. This report described the demographics, clinical presentations, transmission risks, outcome and viral genetic clades of confirmed mpox cases.

Data from six RT-PCR-confirmed cases at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine identified MPXV clade II in five cases and MPXV clade III in one case. The cases involved five cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM), three of which were known to be people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and one cisgender female. The median age was 31. Two cases had a history of international travel prior to symptoms.

The cases presented with skin rash (100%), fever (100%), malaise (100%), genital rash (67%), localized lymphadenopathy (16.67%), and headache (16.67%). Skin lesions were umbilicated, presenting as vesicles (100%), papules (83%), or pustules (50%). Secondary bacterial skin infections were reported in two cases. Sequelae included post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and scarring. No severe complications or deaths occurred.

Mpox outbreak emphasized the threat of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. This report provides insights on mpox’ clinical manifestations, transmission, and outcomes in MSM and PLHIV. Mild disease presentations in HIV patients emphasize the importance of ART adherence in preventing severe complications. Despite the small sample size, this study underscores the need for ongoing surveillance and targeted public health intervention focusing on awareness, safe sexual practices, early diagnosis and treatment.

Human ; Hiv ; Mpox ; Mpox, Monkeypox