No abstract available.
Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule*

No abstract available.
Cutaneous Fistula ; Fistula*

Nail psoriasis is a common finding in psoriatic patients and is associated with substantial adverse effects on the patient's quality of life. Although several treatment options are available, nail psoriasis tends to be persistent and refractory to therapy. Pulse dye laser (PDL) has been demonstrated to be effective for plaque-type psoriasis, but there are no reports on nail psoriasis being successfully treated with PDL in the Korean literature. We here report on a 46-year-old woman presenting with nail psoriasis recalcitrant to conventional treatment modalities, showing pitting, nail bed discoloration, and crumbling. We successfully treated the symptoms with 595 nm PDL, supporting the hypothesis that PDL may be a safe and effective therapeutic option in patients with recalcitrant nail psoriasis.
Female ; Humans ; Lasers, Dye* ; Middle Aged ; Psoriasis* ; Quality of Life

BACKGROUND: The clinical presentation of lichen planus varies depending on the area involved. It occurs in less than 1% of the world's population: also, the prevalence in Korea is relatively low. However, the number of our outpatients has been increasing rapidly. OBJECTIVE: We studied the clinical characteristics of 100 patients with biopsy proven lichen planus. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records and clinical photographs of 100 patients who had been diagnosed with lichen planus during the last 10 years, from January 2002 to December 2011. RESULTS: Over the past 10 years, patients with Lichen Planus accounted for 0.196% among the new outpatients of this dermatology. The rate of Lichen Planus increased when it occurred on the skin, except for the Mucosal area. Of the 100 outpatients, 62% were men and 38% were women. The mean age at diagnosis was 54 years, and more than half of the patients were between 40 and 60 years of age. The most common site of lichen planus was the lip, which was found in 44% of the patients. Oral lesions were the second most commonly involved site at 28%, followed by the body at 20% and the genital area at 8%. The patients complained of various symptoms such as pain, burning sensation, pruritus, and irritation. Various treatments had been tried by all patients. CONCLUSION: This study of domestic patients with Lichen Planus is the biggest clinical research performed at a single center. The clinical features of patients in this survey share many similarities with those reported previously, but showed some differences too.
Biopsy ; Burns ; Dermatology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Lichen Planus ; Lichens ; Lip ; Male ; Medical Records ; Outpatients ; Prevalence ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Acute diffuse alopecia areata (AA) was described as a unique AA which mimics anagen effluvium, or in which the initial hair loss is diffuse and followed by total denudation of scalp within several weeks or months. In spite of its peculiar clinical feature, there was neither further characterization nor known effective treatment for this form of AA. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the characteristic clinical findings of acute diffuse AA and confirm the effect of high dose methyl prednisolone therapy. METHODS: The medical records of 13 patients with acute diffuse AA between January 2002 and April 2006 at the Department of Dermatology, Chungnam National University Hospital were reviewed. All patients were treated with high dose methylprednisolone therapy. RESULTS: Of the 13 patients who completed the study, 8 patients (61.5%) were male and 5 patients (38.5%) were female. The mean age was 29.6 years old. The progress of hair loss stopped 2.4 weeks on average after initial treatment and newly emerging hairs were recognized 4.1 weeks on average after initial treatment. 84.6% (11/13) of patients showed terminal hair growth, and 46.2% (6/13) of patients completely responded to this therapy. CONCLUSION: Acute diffuse alopecia areata can occur in male as well as in female patients. High dose methylprednisolone therapy appears to be effective in patients with rapidly progressing acute diffuse alopecia areata to prevent the progression of the disease.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Dermatology ; Female ; Hair ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Methylprednisolone ; Prednisolone ; Scalp

BACKGROUND: Diphencyclopropenone (DPCP) has recently been reported to be a potent contact sensitizer in the treatment of alopecia areata. However, the concentration for sensitization and optimal treatment method has not been standardized. In addition, highly variable results of DPCP use have been reported to date. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to find the optimal concentration for sensitization and to evaluate efficacy, prognostic factors and side effects of DPCP in the treatment of AA. METHODS: A total of 33 healthy people were enrolled in an open-label clinical trial to ascertain the concentration of DPCP needed for sensitization. The patients were sensitized with 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% of DPCP on a 2 cm2 area of each extremity (both arms and legs). We also reviewed the medical records of 48 alopecia areata patients who had been treated with DPCP. We evaluated both therapeutic efficacy and prognostic factors influencing the therapeutic effect of DPCP immunotherapy. RESULTS: Sensitization of 1.0% DPCP in 91% of patients. This concentration showed a higher sensitization rate than 0.5% DPCP, but a lower irritation rate than 1.5% DPCP. 56.3% (27/48) of patients showed terminal hair growth and 33.3% (16/48) completely responded with a cosmetically-acceptable result. The prognostic factor which influenced the result of therapy was the extent of alopecia areata. CONCLUSION: Topical DPCP treatment for alopecia is quite effective and well-tolerated. This therapy also provides safe therapeutic benefits if it is carried out with the correct sensitization concentration and treatment procedure.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Arm ; Extremities ; Hair ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Medical Records

Amyloidosis is a heterogenous group of often fatal disorders characterized by extracellular deposition of a proteinaceous material with a unique fibrillar form in various tissues and organs. Deposition of amyloid may cause widespread dysfunction of the involved organs. A secondary amyloidosis is AA amyloidosis and rheumatoid arthritis is one of the main underlying disease. We report a case of secondary amyloidosis in a 52 year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis. She had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for 17 years and her hands and feet were deformed. She was presented with oliguric acute renal failure. She was confirmed by showing apple green birefringence under the polarized microscope with Congo-red stain through renal and rectal biopsy. We couldn't find any previous report of the secondary amyloidosis among the patients presenting oliguric acute renal failure without proteinuria in the Korean literatures.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Amyloid ; Amyloidosis* ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biopsy ; Birefringence ; Female ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Proteinuria

Lipedematous alopecia is a rare condition of unknown etiology characterized by a thick boggy scalp with varying degrees of hair loss. It is usually seen in adult African-American females, and a case in a 9-year-old was the youngest patient reported thus far. We report on the appearance of this condition in two children, a 6-year-old child and a 10-year-old child. Each presented with congenital patchy hair loss on the occipital area and the left temple. A boggy hairless scalp with soft swelling was detected in both patients. Histological examination showed increased thickness of the subcutaneous fat tissue with a decrease in hair follicles. These features were consistent with a diagnosis of lipedematous alopecia. We report two cases of congenital lipedematous alopecia, which has not been reported previously. Although congenital, these distinct clinical features should be kept in mind in the diagnosis of alopecic hair loss.
Adult ; Alopecia* ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Edema ; Female ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Scalp ; Subcutaneous Fat

No abstract available.
Hyperpigmentation* ; Hypertrichosis* ; Travoprost

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune skin disease difficult to manage and treat. The pathogenesis of AA features a T-cell-associated autoimmune process, and systemic immunosuppressive therapy is prescribed widely for AA. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of systemic low-dose methotrexate (LD-MTX) therapy in treatment of recalcitrant AA multiplex. METHODS: In a retrospective, non-controlled study, we evaluated 29 patients with recalcitrant AA treated with LD-MTX and assessed the therapeutic response according to severity of disease, disease duration, cumulative dose of MTX, and drug safety. RESULTS: MTX was administered twice weekly, and the mean maximum weekly dose was 14.48 mg. The response was A5 (regrowth=100.0%) in 14 (48.3%) patients and A4 (regrowth of 75%~90%) in 12 (41.4%) patients. Three patients had poor response to LD-MTX treatment (A2: n=2 [6.9%], A1: n=1 [3.4%]). All three of the patients showing a poor response had disease durations exceeding 24 months. Relapse was observed in 31% of patients with more than 75% regrowth. Common side-effects were elevated liver enzyme levels and gastrointestinal discomfort. CONCLUSION: LD-MTX appears to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment for recalcitrant AA multiplex.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Humans ; Liver ; Methotrexate* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin Diseases