Pathology
July 2003
in “
Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery
”
TLDR Various skin conditions can be treated effectively with different methods, such as discontinuing certain drugs, using specific vaccines, applying creams, and changing lifestyle habits like smoking and drinking.
In 2003, multiple studies were conducted on various skin conditions and their treatments. A retrospective review of 120 patients found that antihypertensive agents were most commonly implicated in drug-induced cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), with most patients seeing improvement within 8 weeks of discontinuing the offending drug. Other studies examined steroid-induced hypersensitivity, arsenicosis in Bangladesh, diabetic foot ulcers, neonatal herpes simplex virus infection, pediatric vasculitis, scleroderma in children, and a varicella outbreak at a daycare center. Research also focused on the transmission of vaccinia virus, the efficacy of a glycoprotein D vaccine against genital herpes simplex virus, and a vaccine against human papillomavirus type 16. A study on 113 psoriasis patients found that thrice-weekly NB-UVB phototherapy was more effective than twice-weekly treatment. Another study on 130 patients identified Disperse Blue dyes and Disperse Orange 3 as common sensitizers in hand dermatitis. Research on psoriasis suggested that monoclonal antibodies were effective in treatment, and a study of 789 psoriasis patients found a strong association between smoking and/or drinking and psoriasis in men. Two studies on primary nodular basal cell carcinoma found that 5% imiquimod cream applied daily resulted in high clearance rates. Lastly, a study on 194 females with chronic diffuse telogen hair loss found no direct relationship between low serum ferritin and hair loss.