BACKGROUND: The relative lack of knowledge and interest in arthropod bites has made it difficult to investigate centipede envenomation in Korea. OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of centipede bites in Korea. METHODS: A prospective study of clinical manifestations in patients with centipede bites was performed during the period of May 2004 to April 2005. Factors investigated included sex, age, location and time of assaults, affected parts of the body, signs and symptoms, treatment modalities, and complications. All centipedes that were involved were brought to the clinic, examined, and species-identified. RESULTS: A total of 29 cases of centipede bite were identified. Scolopendra subspinipes was the causative centipede in all cases. Centipede bites occurred exclusively in summer (June, July, and August). Most of the bites which occurred during the daytime happened outdoors, whereas most nocturnal assaults happened indoors. All patients were bitten on an exposed area and the fingers (37.9%) were the most frequent sites of involvement. Local reactions developed at the bitten sites and usually remained localized. Erythema (100%) and local swelling (79.3%) were the most prominent features. The majority of patients did not show severe systemic symptoms. Most lesions healed completely within a week, without complications. CONCLUSION: Centipede bites are a common occurrance in rural and island areas during the summer season. Dermatologists need to be aware of the clinical manifestations in order to make an appropriate diagnosis and proper treatment decision.
Arthropods ; Bites and Stings ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Erythema ; Fingers ; Humans ; Korea ; Prospective Studies ; Seasons

BACKGROUND: Chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) has been defined using three criteria: clinical photobiological and histological aspects. CAD is a rare disease with only a few clinical analyses reported in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of CAD including epidemiology, clinical presentations and results of phototests in Korean patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted according to patients' medical records at Seoul National University Hospital. RESULTS: Twelve patients were enrolled in this study. Most were elderly men with skin lesions on the sun-exposed areas. The mean age was 55. 4 years. Ten patients were male and the other 2 were female. The mean duration of the disease was 12.7 years. Phototests showed that 6 patients showed decreased minimal erythema dose (MED) to UVA and 2 patients decreased MED to UVB. The remaining 4 patients decreased to both UVA and UVB. CONCLUSION: The most common abnormal phototest results were decreased MED to UVA. More patients showed normal MED to UVB in this study compared with other studies. Our study analyzed the clinical and photobiological characteristics of CAD in Korean patients.
Aged ; Epidemiology ; Erythema ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Medical Records ; Photosensitivity Disorders* ; Rare Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Skin

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to explain the phenomena of hot flashes in climacteric women by using Mexameter, Skin Thermometer, Corneometer, and Laser Doppler Perfusion Imager (LDPI) objectively and to identify the interrelation between the subjective and objective measurements of hot flashes by comparing the two as reported in retrospective questionnaires. METHODS: The participants were one hundred women (45-60 yr) who were not currently on hormone therapy, and had reached hot flash scores of 10 or higher. Hot flashes were measured in a temperature and humidity controlled room for 7 hr from 10 am to 5 pm. Hot flashes were measured subjectively and recorded via the Hot Flash Diary Report. When participants felt the hot flashes, they were measured objectively by Mexameter, Skin Thermometer, Corneometer, and LDPI. RESULTS: The frequency of hot flashes in participants ranged from 1 to 7 times. When hot flashes occurred in participants, the erythema, skin temperature, skin hydration, and blood perfusion showed statistically significant changes in all measurements. But, the subjective and objective measurements of hot flashes showed only weak correlations. CONCLUSION: Results indicate a need for future research with subjective and objective measuring instruments chosen depending variations identified for the study.
Climacteric ; Erythema/etiology ; Face/blood supply/physiology ; Female ; Hot Flashes/*complications/epidemiology ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Postmenopause ; Skin Temperature/physiology

INTRODUCTION: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a challenging diagnosis. Erythema and induration of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) site is increasingly recognised as a significant clinical clue. However, there is little data to support its specificity for KD as compared to other febrile illnesses. We aimed to evaluate BCG reaction or induration as a diagnostic tool for KD. METHODS: A retrospective case-controlled study of patients discharged with a diagnosis of KD from 2007 to 2010 was conducted. Another group of patients admitted over the same period for possible KD, but later found not to have KD, served as control. RESULTS: Significantly more infants with KD (69.7%) had BCG site changes than older children (27.8%; p < 0.001). It also presented earlier in the course of KD; < 5 days (53.3%) compared to ≥ 5 days of fever (30.0%; p < 0.001). Positive predictive value of BCG site reaction or induration for KD was 90.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.819-0.962) for infants and 96.2% (95% CI 0.868-0.995) for older children. The prevalence rate of changes at the BCG site was 9.9% among patients with non-KD febrile illnesses and 42.6% among patients with KD. CONCLUSION BCG site reaction or induration is a useful clinical clue for the diagnosis of KD in both infants and older children, with a higher prevalence in infants. Physicians should consider KD in children with febrile illness and redness or crust formation at the BCG site, especially in view of low rates of BCG reaction or induration in non-KD febrile illnesses.
BCG Vaccine ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Case-Control Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Erythema ; complications ; epidemiology ; Female ; Fever ; complications ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; complications ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Singapore ; epidemiology

Although it is debatable whether Helicobacter pylori may play a role in the pathogenesis of rosacea, some authors suggested that the treatment of H. pylori might have a beneficial effect. The aim of this investigation was to compare the prevalence of H. pylori between rosacea patients and controls, and to evaluate an effect of H. pylori eradication on rosecea by a 2-week triple therapy that was composed of amoxicillin, clarithromycin and omeprazole. H. pylori was detected by using gastroscopic biopsy with Warthin-Starry stain. Forty-two (84%) of 50 patients with rosacea and 39 (78%) of 50 controls had H. pylori, showing no significant difference in prevalence. The cure rates of H. pylori in rosacea patients and controls were 80% (16/20) and 85% (17/20), respectively. There was no significant decrease in the intensity of erythema in active treatment and placebo groups both during and after the treatment. Temporary improvement in papulopustules exclusively during the treatment (within 2 weeks) could be independent of H. pylori eradication. Overall, no significant reduction in the number of papulopustules was observed in active treatment and placebo groups after the treatment (in 2 months). Taken together, our study found no significant lessening of rosacea lesions by treating H. pylori infection, which conclusively does not concur with a view that H. pylori may be related to rosacea.
Acne Rosacea/microbiology* ; Acne Rosacea/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Amoxicillin/administration & dosage ; Anti-Ulcer Agents/administration & dosage ; Antibiotics, Macrolide/administration & dosage ; Biopsy ; Clarithromycin/administration & dosage ; Cohort Studies ; Erythema/microbiology ; Erythema/epidemiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Helicobacter Infections/pathology ; Helicobacter Infections/epidemiology* ; Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy* ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Omeprazole/administration & dosage ; Penicillins/administration & dosage ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND: Pediatric dermatoses show different clinical presentations and responses to treatment than that in adults. However, data on inpatient pediatric dermatology are limited in the current medical literature. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze patterns of dermatologic consultations in pediatric inpatients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of inpatient pediatric (age <18 yrs) consultation requests received by the dermatology department from January 2012 to December 2014. The age, sex, diagnosis, requesting department, and reason for consultation were recorded. RESULTS: Among 27,323 inpatients, 581 (2.1%) had undergone consultation. Of these, 318 (54.7%) were boys and 263 (45.4%) were girls (M: F=1.2:1). Patients ranged in age from newborn to 17 years, and 22.4% were under 1 year. Most of the consultation requests (57.7%) were made by pediatrics, followed by neurosurgery (7.7%) and general surgery departments (7.7%). The most common diagnostic categories included eczema (26.3%), skin appendigeal diseases (18.7%), infectious disease (17.7%), neoplasms (12.8%), and drug eruptions, erythema, and urticaria (7.1%). The most common reasons for consultation were dermatologic diseases or conditions (82.5%), skin lesions of a systemic disease (9.5%), and diseases related to treatment (6.5%). CONCLUSION: Information obtained from this study can not only improve the quality of patient care but also inform clinicians about the array of pediatric dermatology conditions in the hospital setting.
Adult ; Communicable Diseases ; Dermatology* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Eruptions ; Eczema ; Epidemiology ; Erythema ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Inpatients* ; Neurosurgery ; Patient Care ; Pediatrics ; Referral and Consultation* ; Retrospective Studies* ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Urticaria

BACKGROUND: Forty percent of solar irradiation arriving on the ground surface is infrared rays (IR). However, these have received little attention. Chronic experimental exposure to IR has been found to cause degenerative changes to dermal connective tissue and an accumulation of ground substances, which is similar to changes which occur by photoaging. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of persistent heat exposure on the cutaneous aging symptoms such as wrinkles, dyspigmentation and telangiectasia. METHODS: A total of 306 male volunteers, aged between 26-68 years, were recruited from steel factories with a torrid working environment. Each volunteer was interviewed for demographic information, cumulative sunlight exposure levels and their smoking history. Skin examination and measurement of erythema/pigmentation levels were also performed on the crow's feet area of the face and/or the upper inner arm. RESULTS: 1. The group of males, aged 50years or over, who had been exposed to high temperatures for more than 10years showed a tendency to have severer wrinkles (5.1+/-1.5) than an age-matched control group (3.7+/-0.1). 2. There was no correlation between dyspigmentation and heat exposure. 3. Erythema indices decreased and were found to be dependent on the duration of heat exposure to the face in the group of males over 40years of age, and to the upper inner arm in the group of males over 50years of age. CONCLUSION: Chronic heat exposure might contribute to the development of skin wrinkles and shows the possibility of potentiation of extreme ultraviolet effects.
Aging ; Arm ; Connective Tissue ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Epidemiology ; Erythema ; Foot ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Infrared Rays ; Male ; Skin Aging* ; Skin* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Steel ; Sunlight ; Telangiectasis ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND: Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystem disease, which manifests with mucocutaneous, ocular, articular, vascular, intestinal, urogenital, and neurologic symptoms. It is highly prevalent in the Far East, including Korea. OBJECTIVE: The epidemiology and clinical findings of BD patients in the Jeonnam Province, including Gwangju city, was evaluated from 1997 to 2004. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical findings of 137 BD patients followed up at Jeonnam University Hospital. For the analysis of epidemiology and clinical findings, the patients were classified into complete, incomplete and suspected types, according to the diagnostic criteria of the Behcet's Syndrome Research Committee of Japan. Demographic data of the 137 patients were analysed with respect to age, sex, family history, and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: There was a female predominance, with a male-to female ratio of 0.49:1 and the average age of onset was 32.6 years for males and 27.1 years for females. The greatest study indicated that the incidence of BD had increased in recent years, and the prevalence of male patients had increased relatively since 2001. The most frequent initial symptom was an oral ulcer (92%). Cutaneous manifestations included erythema nodosum-like lesions in 65 patients (47.4%), folliculitis (acne-like lesions) in 43 patients (43%), cutaneous hypersensitivity in 11 patients (8.0%), subcutaneous thrombophlebitis in 7 patients (5.1%), and erythema multiform-like lesions in 2 patients (1.5%). They were grouped into suspected type (47.4%), incomplete type (46.0%) and complete type (6.6%). In the suspected type, as initial major symptoms, the combination of oral ulcer and genital ulcer were most frequent in female patients and the combination of oral ulcer and skin lesions in male patients. CONCLUSION: This is the first clinical study of BD patients in Gwangju and the Jeonnam Province. The new trend in the incidence and sex ratio of BD patients should further be evaluated in the whole of Korea. Further investigation and follow-up study are necessary to better understand the epidemiology and clinical findings of BD.
Age of Onset ; Behcet Syndrome ; Epidemiology* ; Erythema ; Far East ; Female ; Folliculitis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Incidence ; Japan ; Jeollanam-do* ; Korea ; Male ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Oral Ulcer ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio ; Skin ; Thrombophlebitis ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: There has been no statistical study of dermatoses in the Suwon area and southern area of Kyonggi province which has been rapidly developing in the last 7 years. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: We evaluated the recent distributions of dermatoses in the Suwon area and southern area of Kyonggi and compared them with the previous reports of other provinces of Korea. Fifty two thousand, one hundred fifty three new outpatients who visited the Ajou University Hospital from 1995 to 2001 were analysed statistically. RESULTS: The study results are summarized as follows: Among the 52, 153 outpatients, the total number of male patients were 24, 005(46.0%) and female patients were 28, 148(54.0%). The frequency of age groups are as follows; the age groups were the 3rd decade(22.0%), 4th decade(20.4%), 1st decade(18.7%), 5th decade(11.5%), 2nd decade(11.1%), 6th(8.5%), 7th(5.4%), 8th and above(2.4%). The distributions of dermatoses as disease groups were eczema(28.6%), dermatophytosis(8.7%), erythema urticaria and drug eruption(8.1%), disease of skin appendages(7.9%), viral infection(7.3%), etc. Those dermatoses which demonstrated a tendency to increase annually were seborrheic dermatitis, hyperpigmentary disorders, verruca, and alopecia areata. The incidence of dermatophytosis, in particular, decreased during the study period. Seasonal distribution showed that those diseases occurring the most frequently during the summer were dermatophytosis, allergic contact dermatitis, urticaria, verruca, and vitiligo. The incidence of atopic dermatitis and nevocellular nevi increased during the winter season. Acne vulgaris was the disease occurring frequently during summer and winter. Sexual distribution of dermatoses showed that hyperpigmentary disorder, nevocellular nevi, benign epidermal tumor, acne, allergic contact dermatitis, and irritant contact dermatitis were more frequent in females, and dermatophytosis, seborrheic dermatitis, alopecia were more frequent in males. Age distribution was as follows; atopic dermatitis, vitiligo and verruca was the most frequent in the 1st decade. Acne vulgaria was the most frequent in the 2nd decade and 3rd decade. Hyperpigmentary disorder and seborrheic dermatitis were the most frequent in the 4th decade. Hyperpigmentary disorder was the most frequent in the 5th decade and herpes zoster in 6th, 7th and 8th decade and above. CONCLUSION: In contrast to an earlier published report from Seoul, the infectious dermatoses, especially parasitic infestation, showed a tendency to decrease and nevocellular nevi, hyperpigmentary disorder and alopecia showed a tendency to increase. The distribution pattern of the skin disease did not differ from other provinces of Korea in general.
Acne Vulgaris ; Age Distribution ; Alopecia ; Alopecia Areata ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Epidemiology ; Erythema ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Nevus ; Outpatients ; Seasons ; Seoul ; Skin ; Skin Diseases* ; Statistics as Topic* ; Tinea ; Urticaria ; Vitiligo ; Warts

BACKGROUND: The incidence of skin diseases in the university hospital may not truely indicate their province in the population, nevertheless it offers the only available source of information.Objective and Method: To study the prevalence of common dermatoses and compare this with previous reports, we reviewed 20, 000 new outpatients who visited the Department of Dermatology at Wonju Christian Hospital from 2000 to 2004, and have statistically analyzed the findings. RESULTS: The study results are summarized as follows: 1. Of the 20, 000 outpatients, the total number of male patients was 9, 871 (49.4%), and the numbers of female patients was 10, 129 (50.6%). 2. As for age distribution, the most frequent age group was the first decade (15.3%), fifth decade (15.1%), fourth decade (13.9%) and sixth decade (13.7%), comprising 58% of the total outpatients. 3. The 19 most common dermatoses were found to be dermatophytosis, atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, other eczema, urticaria, alopecia, herpes zoster, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, bacterial infection, pruritus, drug eruption, vitiligo, acne, verruca, irritant contact dermatitis, benign epidermal tumors, nevocellular nevus and hyperpigmentary disorders. 4. Those dermatoses which showed a decreasing tendency to be treated by medicine included allergic contact dermatitis, other eczema, bacterial infections, acne, and irritant contact dermatitis. An increasing tendency was noted in dermatophytosis, urticaria, alopecia, herpes zoster, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus, drug eruption, vitiligo, verruca, benign epidermal tumors and nevocellular nevus. There was no significant annual difference in incidences of hyperpigmentory disorders compared to atopic dermatitis. 5. Diseases with high seasonal distribution in summer were dermatophytosis and verruca. However, atopic dermatitis, alopecia, herpes zoster and pruritus showed high incidence in the winter period. Acne showed a peak incidence in both summer and winter. 6. As for gender distribution, dermatophytosis, alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis, bacterial infection and vitiligo showed a high frequency in males, whereas allergic contact dermatitis, urticaria, herpes zoster, psoriasis, pruritus, drug eruption, acne, epidermal benign tumors, nevocellular nevus and hyperpigmentary disorders showed a high freguency in female. 7. In age distribution, atopic dermatitis, bacterial infection, vitiligo, verruca and nevocellular nevus were found to be the most frequent in the first decade, and acne and alopecia in the second decade. Urticaria and psoriasis were most frequent in the third decade; dermatophytoses, allergic contact dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis and hyperpigmentary disorders in the fifth decade; other eczema, seborrheic dermatitis and pruritus in the sixth decade; herpes zoster and drug eruption in the seventh decade; and epidermal benign tumors in the eighth decade. 8. In the distribution of dermatoses as disease groups, eczema (25.5%), diseases of the skin appendages (10.8%), dermatophytosis (10.0%), erythema, urticaria and drug eruption(10.2%), viral infections (8.4%), papulosquamous disease (4.1%), and pruritus and neurocutaneous disease (3.9%) constituted 72.5% of the total. CONCLUSION: The distribution of skin disease in our hospital was similar to studies wnducted in other provinces. Comparing the alone results with earlier studies carried out in the same area by Lee (3), Won (2) and Song (1), there was a relatively low incidence of dermatoses caused by animal parasites. However, a predominently high incidence of age related dermatoses was found.
Acne Vulgaris ; Age Distribution ; Alopecia ; Animals ; Bacterial Infections ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Dermatology ; Drug Eruptions ; Eczema ; Epidemiology ; Erythema ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Music ; Nevus ; Outpatients ; Parasites ; Prevalence ; Pruritus ; Psoriasis ; Seasons ; Skin ; Skin Diseases* ; Statistics as Topic* ; Tinea ; Urticaria ; Vitiligo ; Warts