BACKGROUND: Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a relatively rare cutaneous disorder. There are a few studies regarding the clinical features and prognostic factors of EMPD in Korean patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify in detail the clinical findings and prognostic factors of EMPD in Korean patients. METHODS: A total of 19 patients with confirmed EMPD at our institution were included from January 2005 to December 2014. Clinical records and pathology slides of the patients were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Patients' ages ranged from 50 to 87 years (median, 64.5 years), and incidence of EMPD was higher in men than in women (17:2, male:female). The most common predilection site was the penoscrotal area in men and the vulva in women. All patients with EMPD had no underlying malignancy. Four of 19 patients treated with wide excision had local recurrence during the follow-up period. Two patients with deep dermal invasion died due to multiple metastases. CONCLUSION: EMPD in Korea is characterized by its male predominance and penoscrotal location. Disease recurrence is common regardless of the surgical margin. Its prognosis could be associated with depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis.
Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Paget Disease, Extramammary* ; Pathology ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Vulva

BACKGROUND: Hand eczema is one of the most common skin disorders and negatively affects quality of life. However, a large-scale multicenter study investigating the clinical features of patients with hand eczema has not yet been conducted in Korea. OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of various hand diseases, which is defined as all cutaneous disease occurring in hands, and to investigate the clinical features of patients with hand eczema and the awareness about hand eczema in the general population and to compare the prevalence of hand eczema between health care providers and non-health care providers. METHODS: To estimate the prevalence of hand diseases, we analyzed the medical records of patients from 24 medical centers. Patients were assessed by online and offline questionnaires. A 1,000 from general population and 913 hand eczema patients answered the questionnaire, for a total of 1,913 subjects. RESULTS: The most common hand disease was irritant contact dermatitis. In an online survey, the lifetime prevalence of hand eczema was 31.2%. Hand eczema was more likely to occur in females (66.0%) and younger (20~39 years, 53.9%). Health care providers and housewives were the occupations most frequently associated with hand eczema. Winter (33.6%) was the most common season which people experienced aggravation. The 63.0% and 67.0% answered that hand eczema hinders their personal relationship and negatively affects daily living activities, respectively. CONCLUSION: Hand eczema is a very common disease and hinders the quality of life. The appropriate identification of hand eczema is necessary to implement effective and efficient treatment.
Activities of Daily Living ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Eczema* ; Female ; Hand* ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Korea* ; Medical Records ; Occupations ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Seasons ; Skin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Herpes zoster is a common disease of the dorsal root ganglia and sensory nerve fibers that is clinically characterized by a painful unilateral vesicular eruption of the skin in a dermatomal distribution. Segmental motor weakness is a rare complication that occurs in 0-5% of patients and is associated with an excellent prognosis for recovery. We herein present a case of herpes zoster complicated by segmental motor paresis of the abdominal musculature resulting in a pseudohernia. This rare complication of herpes zoster, which has an excellent prognosis for recovery, should be recognized by physicians as it can save costly consultations and evaluations.
Ganglia, Spinal ; Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Nerve Fibers ; Paresis ; Prognosis ; Referral and Consultation ; Skin

Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The prevalence and number of new cases have recently markedly decreased in Korea, and the possibility of leprosy can therefore be clinically overlooked. However, leprosy is still endemic in various regions of the world. A 30 year-old male immigrant from Indonesia presented with an erythematous plaque without sensory loss on his face six months after immigration. The skin lesion was diagnosed as tuberculoid leprosy based on clinico-pathology.
Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Emigration and Immigration ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic ; Humans ; Indonesia ; Korea ; Leprosy ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid* ; Male* ; Mycobacterium leprae ; Prevalence ; Skin

No abstract available.
Humans ; Hyperplasia* ; Infant*

No abstract available.
Curettage* ; Ear*

BACKGROUND: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in epithelial tumor cells plays a key role in tumor invasion and metastasis. The reduction or loss of E-cadherin and the acquisition of vimentin are two critical steps in the EMT. However, the roles of EMT-related proteins in basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) have not been fully elucidated. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunohistochemical expressions of E-cadherin and vimentin in BCC and SCC, and to demonstrate the EMT and its role in tumor invasion. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissues from 30 BCC and 20 SCC cases were incubated with primary antibodies to E-cadherin and vimentin. The co-expression of the biomarkers and the biomarkers' correlations with the histopathological grades were analyzed. RESULTS: E-cadherin expression reduced by 90.0% and 95.0% in BCC and SCC, respectively, and the expression of vimentin increased by 10.0% and 55.0% in BCC and SCC, respectively. The expression of vimentin was significantly different in BCC and SCC (p<0.05). There were no correlations between the expression of E-cadherin and the expression of vimentin in BCC (p>0.05), or between the expression of E-cadherin and the expression of vimentin in SCC (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the EMT affects the pathophysiology of both BCC and SCC. The greater aberrance in the expression of vimentin in SCC compared with that in BCC might be one factor that underlies the greater aggression of SCC clinically.
Aggression ; Antibodies ; Biomarkers ; Cadherins* ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Vimentin*

Familial hypercholesterolemia is an autosomal dominant inherited metabolic disease characterized by high serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations, and xanthoma formation. There are multiple types of xanthomas, such as eruptive, tendinous, tuberous, and planar. Intertriginous xanthomas are rare, but, if present, are typically associated with familial homozygous hypercholesterolemia. We here report on a 15-month-old infant who presented with multiple yellowish linear patches and plaques on the intertriginous areas. Serum lipoprotein electrophoresis showed a marked increase in beta-fraction, suggesting type IIa hyperlipoproteinemia. Histopathology showed numerous aggregates of foam cells in the dermis. We performed DNA analysis and revealed the presence of an LDL receptor gene mutation. In summary, we here report an interesting case of an infant with intertriginous xanthoma. This condition is so rare that it has not been reported in the Korean dermatologic literature before.
Cholesterol ; Dermis ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; Foam Cells ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II* ; Infant* ; Lipoproteins ; Metabolic Diseases ; Receptors, LDL ; Xanthomatosis*

BACKGROUND: Scabies is an ectoparasite caused by the mite Sarcoptesscabiei var. hominis, an obligate human parasite. Although the incidence of scabies is decreased nowadays, it is not rare and it is difficult to diagnose without experience. OBJECTIVE: We conducted this study to evaluate clinical aspects of patients diagnosed with scabies in the last 4 years. METHODS: We evaluated 56 patients who were diagnosed with scabies with a skin biopsy or with the mineral oil test. Medical records and telephone-interviews were used for more information. RESULTS: There were 56 scabies patients, 28 males and 28 females. The mean age of the patients was 54 (male; 44.4/ female; 62.9) and 39.3% of patients were over 65 years. The most common affected site was the groin; common cutaneous lesions were pruritic papules and burrow. There was no seasonal variation in occurrence. The majority of suspected routes of infection were unknown but, nosocomial infection and communal living were also major causes. On average, 102 days were required to confirm scabies, which suggests the difficulty in early diagnosis of scabies. CONCLUSION: We suggest that dermatologists should consider scabies infection in patients who show pruritis that does not improve with ordinary treatment.
Biopsy ; Cross Infection ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Medical Records ; Mineral Oil ; Mites ; Parasites ; Pruritus ; Scabies ; Seasons ; Skin

BACKGROUND: The TRUE test is a commercially available ready-to-apply patch test widely used in many countries, but no large-scale study is available on the TRUE test in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the type, frequency, and changes in the common contact allergens in Korea using the TRUE test. METHODS: From January 2009 to March 2010, TRUE tests were performed on patients with contact dermatitis at the Departments of Dermatology of 15 hospitals. The epidemiological findings of patients, and the results of the patch tests were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 795 patch tested cases (246 males, 549 females) were compiled and analyzed. The oldest age distribution was the third decade in both males and females, and housewives and office-workers were the most common jobs, comprising 29.7% and 19.8% of the occupations, respectively. Overall, 65.1% of patients had at least one positive reaction, and the most common allergens were nickel sulfate (34.1%), thimerosal (12.6%), cobalt chloride (11.1%), and p-phenylenediamine (8.4%), in order of frequency. A univariate analysis of multiple variables including age, gender, occupation, and affected sites was conducted and a comparison with a previous multicenter study was also analyzed. CONCLUSION: These results provide the basis for use of the TRUE test in patients with contact dermatitis in Korea.
Age Distribution ; Allergens ; Cobalt ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nickel ; Occupations ; Patch Tests ; Phenylenediamines ; Thimerosal