October 24th 2025
New one-year data showed that baricitinib continued scalp, eyebrow, and eyelash regrowth in adolescents with severe alopecia areata.
Answer to Last Month’s Online Challenge
January 1st 2008Infantile seborrhea has many of the features of the other papulosquamous conditions listed, but the diagnosis is most commonly clinically evident on examination alone. If you are unsure, a KOH preparation will quickly sort out the dermatophytes. Also, the lack of itch makes atopic dermatitis very unlikely.
Trachyonychia (Twenty-Nail Dystrophy)
January 1st 2008I believe that there is an entity termed "twenty-nail dystrophy" that is a benign and idiopathic disorder. The nail plates have a distinct appearance and all 20 nails are dystrophic. The nail plates are lusterless and their surface appears to have been sandpapered in a longitudinal direction. The plates are thin and rough with accentuated longitudinal ridges and the cuticles appear to be "roughed up" and thickened. The free ends of the plates are brittle and rough. The nail plates do not appear to be growing.
Peanut Allergy: Earlier Exposure-Earlier Reactions
January 1st 2008With the banning of peanut butter and jelly from someschool cafeterias, peanut allergies have become a populartopic in the media and the public. Discussions ofteninclude references to an increasing prevalence ofallergies, as well as to an earlier emergence of thoseallergies in children.
Pityriasis Lichenoides Et Varioliformis Acuta (Mucha-Habermann Disease)
January 1st 2008Numerous scattered, mildly erythematous, brownish papules were scattered over the trunk, upper extremities, buttocks, and upper thighs. Many were slightly scaly and several had developed an eschar. The patient also had multiple areas of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and a few varioliform scars. Other examination findings were normal.
Toddler Who "Caught Psoriasis" at Her Day-Care Center
December 1st 2007The parents of this 12-month-old girl are concerned that their daughter “caught” psoriasis at her day-care center. The rash had been present for at least 6 months, after which it cleared significantly, only to return weeks later. The child does not seem to be bothered by it.
Bell Palsy From Lyme Meningitis
October 1st 2007After experiencing frequent headaches, this 10-year-old girl awoke with a "funny smile" involving left-sided facial paresis. She was evaluated in an emergency department and a complete blood cell count, Lyme IgM and IgG screen, and CT scans of the head and sinuses were ordered.
Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis: REFERENCES:
October 1st 2007ABSTRACT: Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is an inflammatory bone disease that occurs primarily in childhood. The clinical picture often is confused with bacterial osteomyelitis. Awareness of CRMO as a clinical entity helps avoid diagnosis and treatment delays. Our patient, an 8-year-old girl, presented with acute left hip pain. One month after presentation, a lytic lesion was seen on plain radiographs; biopsy revealed nonspecific inflammation. It was not until more than 2 years later, when multifocal bone lesions and psoriasis developed, that the diagnosis became clear. Our patient's case demonstrates several key points: not all children with CRMO present with multifocal disease, patients frequently have comorbid inflammatory conditions, and there are no diagnostic laboratory studies. The optimal treatments remain unknown.
Vaccine-Associated Herpes Zoster
October 1st 2007A 23-month-old girl presented with an erythematous papular rash on her torso that extended in a linear pattern around to the back. The mother first noticed the rash while bathing the child 3 days earlier. The child had no associated itching, irritability, or fever, but she had mild rhinorrhea preceding the rash that resolved without treatment. The patient and her older sibling were cared for at home by their mother.
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and Type 1 Neurofibromatosis
September 1st 2007The diagnostic test is a Wood light examination. An example of another child with these lesions as they appear under Wood light is shown in Figure B. The Wood light is ultraviolet; it exploits the fact that melanin will preferentially absorb the light and appear darker. Those areas that contain less melanin thus will be highlighted.
Atypical Tuberculin Skin Test Responses
September 1st 2007Twenty-four hours after receiving a standard 5-unit purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD) skin test, a young African American presented with a slightly pink, raised, firm plaque at the site of the injection (A). His previous PPD test results were negative. He denied any constitutional symptoms and rashes. He was otherwise healthy, was not taking any medication, and was HIV-negative.
Eczema Herpeticum: A Manifestation of Hyperimmunoglobulin E Syndrome
September 1st 2007A 4-year-old girl presented with a sore throat, dysphagia, fever (temperature up to 40°C [104°F]), and a pruritic vesicular rash. On the first day of the illness, 4 days earlier, she was evaluated by her pediatrician who prescribed azithromycin for a presumed upper respiratory tract infection. About 2 days later, a papular rash developed on the abdomen and perioral skin; the fever had persisted, and the child's oral intake had decreased. The next day, the rash continued to spread, and the patient refused to take anything orally, including fluids. The mother thought that the rash was a hypersensitivity reaction to the antibiotic.