Dermatology

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A 12-year-old girl was brought by her parents for evaluation of a spot in her eye, which they feared might be an embedded foreign body. She had nominal eye discomfort, which was probably secondary to attempted removal of the object. The child could not recall having dust particles in the eye, and she had no previous eye lesion.

The pearly papules on the cheeks (A), ear, and scalp (B) of 2 newborns are classic presentations of milia. The white or yellow papules range from 1 to 2 mm in diameter. They result from retained keratin and sebaceous material in pilosebaceous skin. The lesions commonly affect the face and may be present at birth or develop within the first few days of life.

This 17-year-old presented with multiple boils in the perineum and under breast and skin folds. The lesions produced a malodorous discharge (which caused problems with peer acceptance at school) and were increasing in size. Oral antibiotics had not helped. The patient was admitted for intravenous antibiotic therapy.

It is early evening when a previously healthy 2-year-old Hispanic girl is brought to the hospital by her mother. The girl has a history of fever to 100.2 F axillary, and skin lesions that began four days earlier. The skin lesions are described as following a progressive course. The lesions would begin as non-itchy red patches with a central vesicle that would burst, leaving an ulcer with a black base.

ABSTRACT: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy among females of reproductive age. In adolescents, PCOS often manifests with irregular menses, hirsutism, and acne. Despite general agreement that the metabolic derangements of PCOS arise during puberty, the condition is diagnosed more often in adults than in adolescents. Treatment is focused on weight loss, menstrual cycle regulation, and amelioration of physical symptoms. Acute symptoms can be managed with combination oral contraceptives and antiandrogens and potentially with insulin-sensitizing drugs. Lifestyle modification, especially in overweight patients, can reduce symptoms and help prevent long-term health consequences.

A scaly, erysipeloid rash had erupted in the axillae of an 8-year-old boy and spread to the buttocks and thighs within 2 days. The child complained only of pruritus. The rash had worsened despite treatment with clindamycin for 4 days.

A 13-year-old girl noticed that the skin around a "mole" on her abdomen had gradually changed color. This patient was told that she had a halo nevus--a pigmented (nevocellular) nevus surrounded by a tight ring of depigmentation--which is benign and usually regresses spontaneously over time. This relatively common lesion is believed to affect males and females equally. The development of the halo may coincide with puberty or pregnancy. Often, several pigmented nevi develop a halo simultaneously.

Polydactyly of the hand

Two examples of polydactyly are shown. Photos A and B show a female newborn's right hand with an almost fully developed extra thumb; the radiograph shows what appears to be the distal phalanx bone of the extra digit.

A thriving boy was brought to the office 3 weeks after his first birthday. His mother reported that there was "something wrong with his knee." On visual examination, the knee appeared perfectly normal. On palpation, however, a 4-cm linear induration was evident over the knee fat pad, just medial and distal to the patella. It appeared soft, crepitant, and associated with the skin. No tenderness was noted on palpation; the infant did not object to palpation of this density any more than to auscultation, otoscopy, or anthropometric measurements. No erythema, ecchymosis, or signs of trauma were evident near the lesion. The only possibly relevant history was that the child had spent his birthday at his grandmother's home in the Ukraine a month earlier. He was constantly with his mother during that time, and no trauma was ever reported.

Foreign-body aspiration is a relatively common occurrence in children. It may present as a life-threatening event that necessitates prompt removal of the aspirated material. However, the diagnosis may be delayed when the history is atypical, when parents fail to appreciate the significance of symptoms, or when clinical and radiologic findings are misleading or overlooked by the physician.