Kikuchi's disease (KD), histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, isa benign and self-limited disease which mainly affects young women. KD has been rarely described in association with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and its diagnosis can precede, postdate or coincide with the diagnosis of SLE. The tendency of flare-up of lupus activity with the onset of KD and the simultaneous occurrence of these two diseases suggest that they are not independent events. Herein, we report a case of KD associated with SLE in an 18-year-old female who showed tender erythematous papules on both upper extremities accompanied by cervical lymphadenopathy. The histopathologic examination of lymph nodes showed histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis.
Adolescent ; Female ; Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Upper Extremity

Lichen planus (LP) is an inflammatory dermatosis of an idiopathic origin that can involve the skin, mucous membranes, hair and nails. Nail involvement occurs in 10% of patients with LP and permanent damage of at least one nail occurs in approximately 4% of these patients. LP limited to the nails without cutaneous involvement has rarely been reported in the literature. We report here on six cases of LP limited to the nails. The two patients presented as 20 nail dystrophy characterized by nail roughness and excessive longitudinal ridges. The other patients presented with typical nail LP that was characterized by nail plate thinning with longitudinal ridges and fissures.
Hair ; Humans ; Lichen Planus ; Lichens ; Mucous Membrane ; Nails ; Skin ; Skin Diseases

BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA), a plasmin inhibitor, has been used orally or via intradermal injection to treat melasma; however, there are limited studies regarding efficacy and safety of topical application of TXA. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical tranexamic acid in treatment of melasma. METHODS: We enrolled 25 female volunteers with melasma in a split-face trial lasting 10 weeks. Patients were instructed to apply cream containing tranexamic acid on only the right side of their face every night without application on the other side. The pigmentary index (PI) using API-100 and Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) were measured at 0, 5, and 10 weeks. Patient satisfaction questionnaires and safety evaluation by a dermatologist were performed at each follow-up visit. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients completed the study, and we noted reduction in both, mean MASI and PI scores. The mean MASI score was 7.75±5.10 at baseline, 6.72±4.25 at week 5, and 6.26±3.76 at week 10 p=0.008). The mean PI score on the right side of the face was 40.56±22.51 at baseline, 29.96±16.62 at week 5, and 26.88±15.97 at week 10. The PI on the right side of the face decreased by 26.1% (p<0.001) at week 5 and 33.7% (p<0.001) at week 10 compared to the baseline. Mean PI score on the unaffected side of the face was 40.56±22.60 at baseline, 37.48±17.79 at week 5, and 34.68±16.44 at week 10, although this reduction was not statistically significant (p=0.146). Only mild irritation occurred in two patients, no other serious adverse events were noted, and patients were generally satisfied with their results. CONCLUSION: Topical TXA can be considered a safe and effective option in the treatment of melasma.
Antifibrinolytic Agents ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Injections, Intradermal ; Melanosis* ; Patient Satisfaction ; Tranexamic Acid* ; Volunteers

Parry Romberg Syndrome (PRS), also known as idiopathic progressive hemifacial atrophy, is a rare neurocutaneous disorder characterized by loss of skin and subcutaneous fat of face, muscles, and bones causing unilateral atrophy. Most patients require only soft tissue augmentation although syndrome has varying grades of severity. In the majority of reported cases, it has been treated with surgical flap or autologous fat transplantation. However, these treatments need complicated surgical skills which take a lot of time and cost. Herein we report the first case of PRS augmented by hyaluronic acid (HA) filler in a 42-year-old female patient to suggest that HA filler could be a safe, simple, and even rational economic alternative to surgical treatment.
Adult ; Atrophy ; Facial Hemiatrophy* ; Female ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid* ; Muscles ; Neurocutaneous Syndromes ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Surgical Flaps

Anti-erythropoietin antibodies usually cross-react with all kinds of recombinant erythropoietins; therefore, erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA)-induced pure red-cell aplasia (PRCA) is not rescued by different ESAs. Here, we present a case of ESA-induced PRCA in a 36-yr-old woman with chronic kidney disease, whose anemic condition improved following reintroduction of darbepoetin-alpha. The patient developed progressive, severe anemia after the use of erythropoietin-alpha. As the anemia did not improve after the administration of either other erythropoietin-alpha products or erythropoietin-beta, all ESAs were discontinued. Oxymetholone therapy failed to improve the transfusion-dependent anemia and a rechallenge with ESAs continuously failed to obtain a sustained response. However, her anemia improved following reintroduction of darbepoetin-alpha at 3 yr after the initial diagnosis. Interestingly, anti-erythropoietin antibodies were still detectable, although their concentration was too low for titration. In conclusion, darbepoetin-alpha can improve ESA-induced PRCA when the anti-erythropoietin antibody titer declines and its neutralizing capacity is lost.
Adult ; Anemia/drug therapy/etiology ; Antibodies/*blood/immunology ; Bone Marrow Cells/pathology ; Drug Hypersensitivity/immunology ; Erythropoietin/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Erythropoietin, Recombinant/adverse effects/*immunology/therapeutic use ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA/complications ; Hematinics/adverse effects/immunology/*therapeutic use ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/complications ; Oxymetholone/therapeutic use ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure/chemically induced/*drug therapy/immunology

PURPOSE: Liver disease is one of the most common causes of hyponatremia and improper management of severe hyponatremia may result in serious complications. We evaluated the prevalence and clinical characteristics of severe hyponatremic patients according to the presence of liver disease in hospitalized patients. METHODS: We studied 12,729 hyponatremic patients during hospitalization in single tertiary referral hospital for 1 year. Hyponatremia was defined as serum sodium level <135 mmol/L and severe hyponatremia as < or =125 mmol/L at least twice. RESULTS: Of 12,729 hyponatremic patients, 711 (0.13%) patients had severe hyponatremia and 290 (40.8%) patients with severe hyponatremia had liver disease. The main cause of severe hyponatremia was liver failure (69.7%) in patients with liver disease and excessive administration of hypotonic fluid (37.3%) in non-liver disease patients. The administration of hypertonic saline was the most common treatment both in liver and non-liver disease group. In severe hyponatremic liver disease patients, the serum sodium level was lower (128.8+/-7.1 at admission, 127.1+/-8.4 at discharge vs 132.1+/-7.5, 131.5+/-8.3 mmol/L) and the duration of severe hyponatremia (5 days vs 3 days) was longer than those in non-liver disease group. Of 589 patients with severe hyponatremic patients who had been treated for the sodium correction, 261 patients were recovered from severe hyponatremia to normal range of serum sodium, and lower correction rate was observed in liver disease group. CONCLUSION: Liver failure was the most common cause of severe hyponatremia in hospitalized patients. Severe hyponatremia in patients with liver disease had poor clinical outcomes.
Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Inpatients ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Failure ; Prevalence ; Reference Values ; Sodium ; Tertiary Care Centers