This study aims to determine pre-morbid parameters as possible predictors of outcome of hip fracture in octogenarians with unstable intertrochanteric fracture treated operatively. Presence of co-morbidities, pre-injury level of ambulation, type of surgery, and period of delay in surgery were considered, and their effect on the post-operative outcome was evaluated using the Harris Hip Score. The computed probability of survival of octogenarians who had surgery was approximately 11 months. In patients with two or more co-morbidities, there is a significant effect on Harris Hip Score in terms of pain and deformity. Delay in surgery of more than two weeks significantly decreased the distance travelled at one year. The overall recovery is correlated to preinjury level of ambulation and delay in surgery. Patients with intertochanteric fracture in this age group, who have less co-morbidities and with more independent ambulation, are good candidates for timely operative treatment.
Aged, 80 and over ; Hip Fractures

The objective of this case report is to highlight the role of Iodine-131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) cardiac scintigraphy in discriminating Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) from other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease. This patient is a known case of Parkinson’s disease and has been treated as such since 2011. However, the patient also concurrently deals with visual hallucinations and because of this, the patient’s attending neurologist wanted to rule in the diagnosis of DLB rather than AD. Hence, an I-131 MIBG cardiac scan was requested in order to support the diagnosis of DLB. The use of I-131 MIBG cardiac scintigraphy as a diagnostic tool for diagnosing Lewy Body Dementia is not prevalent and to our knowledge, this was the first time in the country that this procedure was done (December 9, 2019).
3-Iodobenzylguanidine ; Lewy Body Disease ; Radionuclide Imaging

CASE SUMMARY: A 51-year-old Filipino female without comorbidities presented with cough, rhinitis, and low-grade fever. Four days later, she developed pruritic, localized wheals on the arms, gradually involving the trunk and lower extremities. A 49-year-old Filipino female without comorbidities based in the Middle East presented with cough and fever. Four days after, she developed a generalized distribution of wheals and livedoid patches on both legs. Both patients recovered from COVID-19 with complete resolution of skin lesions. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of COVID-19 related dermatology cases collected in the Philippines.
Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; SARS-CoV-2 ; COVID-19 ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Exanthema ; Skin ; Virus Diseases ; Toes

A 60-year-old Filipino woman diagnosed with dermatomyositis was initially on prednisone and methotrexate. She eventually developed interstitial lung disease (ILD) and so methotrexate was shifted to azathioprine; however, azathioprine was discontinued due to cutaneous tuberculosis. Over eight years, the dermatomyositis was controlled by prednisone alone but the ILD worsened. This case demonstrated that the course of ILD may be independent of dermatomyositis.
dermatomyositis ; interstitial lung disease ; immunomodulator

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune blistering disease primarily characterized by tense blisters and occasionally with urticarial plaques, affecting the skin and mucous membranes. These are caused by autoantibodies against BP180 and BP230 which target antigens on the basement membrane zone. The diagnosis relies on the integration of clinical, histopathological, immunopathological, and serological findings. The management depends on the clinical extent and severity. We present in this article a literature review and the clinical consensus guidelines of the Immunodermatology Subspecialty Core Group of the Philippine Dermatological Society in the management of BP.
Pemphigoid, Bullous

Background and Objective: Convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) may reduce the risk of disease progression among patients with COVID-19. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CPT in preventing ICU admission among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: In this open-label randomized controlled trial, we randomly assigned hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 in a 1:1 ratio to receive convalescent plasma as an adjunct to standard of care or standard of care alone. The primary endpoint was ICU admission within first 28 days of enrolment. Primary safety endpoints include rapid deterioration of respiratory or clinical status within four hours of convalescent plasma transfusion and cumulative incidence of serious adverse events during the study period including transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO), severe allergic reactions, and transfusion-related infections. Results: A total of 22 patients were assigned to receive convalescent plasma as an adjunct to standard of care and 22 to receive standard of care alone. The median time from onset of COVID-19 symptoms to study enrolment was eight days (IQR, 4 to 10). Two patients (9.1%) in the CPT group and one patient (4.5%) in the control group were admitted to the ICU. The primary outcome measure, ICU admission, was not different between the two groups (q-value >0.9). No patient who received convalescent plasma had rapid deterioration of respiratory/clinical status within four hours of transfusion and none developed TRALI, TACO, anaphylaxis, severe allergic reactions, or transfusion-related infections. There was also no significant difference in the secondary outcomes of 28-day mortality (two patients in the CPT group and none in the control group, q-value >0.90), dialysis-free days, vasopressor-free days, and ICU-free days. Conclusions Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, no significant differences were observed in the need for ICU admission between patients given CPT as adjunct to standard of care and those who received standard of care alone. Interpretation is limited by early termination of the trial which may have been underpowered to detect a clinically important difference.
COVID-19 ; COVID-19 Serotherapy