Society of Dermatology Hospitalists supportive care guidelines for the management of Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis in adults

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life-threatening conditions with high morbidity and mortality. Supportive care management of SJS/TEN is highly variable. A systematic review of the literature was performed by dermatologists, ophthalmologists, intensivists, and gynecologists with expertise in SJS/TEN to generate statements for supportive care guideline development. Members of the Society of Dermatology Hospitalists with expertise in SJS/TEN were invited to participate in a modified, online Delphi-consensus. Participants were administered 9-point Likert scale questionnaires regarding 135 statements. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method was used to evaluate and select proposed statements for guideline inclusion; statements with median ratings of 6.5 to 9 and a disagreement index of ≤1 were included in the guideline. For the final round, the guidelines were appraised by all of the participants. Included are an evidence-based discussion and recommendations for hospital setting and care team, wound care, ocular care, oral care, urogenital care, pain management, infection surveillance, fluid and electrolyte management, nutrition and stress ulcer prophylaxis, airway management, and anticoagulation in adult patients with SJS/TEN

Atopic dermatitis: a review of topical nonsteroid therapy

Background: Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects up to 20% of children and 3% of adults globally. Although topical corticosteroids are considered to be the first-line agents, they can be associated with cutaneous and systemic adverse effects. Since the early 2000s, two new classes of nonsteroid topical therapies, topical calcineurin inhibitors and phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors, have been introduced and provide a safe treatment alternative. Method: We performed a search and review of clinical trials that examined the safety and efficacy of topical calcineurin inhibitors and PDE4 inhibitors. The search was conducted using the PubMed database as well as preselected keywords and filters. This review focuses on the safety and efficacy of each therapy. Results: Sixty-nine clinical trials identified in this study have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of topical calcineurin and a single novel PDE4 inhibitor in the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Topical calcineurin inhibitors have been shown to be effective in both achieving lesion clearance as well as reducing relapse when used long-term and proactively. Similarly, in clinical trials the PDE4 inhibitor showed success in lesion clearance and symptom management. All three therapies (pimecrolimus, tacrolimus, crisaborole) are associated with low systemic absorption. No clinical trials to date have shown an increased risk of systemic adverse events or malignancy such as lymphoma. The most commonly reported treatment-related adverse event across all three therapies was application-site discomfort, pain or pruritus. It is important to note that longterm studies are not yet available for the novel PDE4 inhibitor. Discussion: Topical calcineurin inhibitors provide a safe and effective alternative to topical corticosteroid use in the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black box warning for topical calcineurin inhibitors remains, studies have not shown an increased risk of malignancy. These warnings have caused a decline in use in favor of topical steroids. A novel PDE4 inhibitor has shown efficacy and safety in studies up to one year. Further long-term safety data is needed

Multidermatomal herpes zoster: a pain in the neck?

Herpes zoster classically presents as a vesicular eruption along a single dermatome that correlates with the dorsal root ganglion in which varicella zoster virus (VZV) reactivates. Such cases most commonly involve a single thoracic dermatome, but other rare presentations of herpes zoster have been reported including multidermatomal herpes zoster. This letter reports a case of multidermatomal herpes zoster affecting cervical dermatomes C2-C5 and presents all previously published cases of multidermatomal herpes zoster in which involved dermatomes were reported to determine if this condition has a predilection for cervical dermatomes. A total of eight other cases were reviewed and involvement of cervical dermatomes was observed in 6 of 9 cases (66.7%). This suggests a propensity for multidermatomal involvement to affect cervical dermatomes beyond that encountered in classic herpes zoster. Clinicians should be aware of this presentation of herpes zoster especially in the head and neck region where the classic vesicular eruption may not be confined to a single dermatome

Livedo Reticularis Associated With Rasagiline (Azilect)

This is a case report of a 69-year-old female with Parkinson's disease who developed an asymptomatic eruption on her legs bilaterally. Clinical and histologic examination was consistent with livedo reticularis, which was temporally associated with initiation of rasagiline. The pathogenesis of livedo reticularis is discussed along with the possible mechanisms for both rasagiline and amantidine causing drug-induced livedo reticularis in patients