11.21.07
Posted in Skin Disorders at 7:30 am by juliet
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic skin disease which is also known as atopic eczema. Atopic dermatitis most often strikes infants and young children, but it can continue into adulthood or first show up later in life. AD is related with other atopic diseases (eg, asthma, allergic rhinitis, urticaria, severe allergic reactions to foods, increased immunoglobulin E production) in several patients.
People having AD tend to have dry, itchy and easily irritated skin. This may continue for years and may result in damage to the skin. A person is more prone to have AD if parents or other family members have ever had AD, hayfever, asthma, or food allergies. Cold weather, heat and sweating might make AD acute. Extremes of temperature and relative humidity can be a problem for people with AD.
Sweating caused by overheating and high humidity can abrade the skin. Low humidity causes water to be defunct from the skin. Certain occupations such as farming, hairdressing, domestic and industrial cleaning, domestic duties and care giving expose the skin to several irritants and sometimes allergens. Dry skin creates the itching and rash of AD worse. Wind, low humidity, soaps, some skin care products, and washing or bathing without proper moisturizing can cause dry skin.
AD may be more common among whites, but it affects persons of all races. Commonly adults have pertinacious localised eczema, possibly confined to the hands, eyelids, flexures, nipples or all of these areas. The primary treatment subsumes prevention, which includes avoiding or minimizing contact with (or intake of) known allergens.
Most commercial soaps clear away the oils produced by the skin that normally serve to prevent drying. Using a soap substitute such as aqueous (relating to water ) cream helps keep the skin moisturized. A non-soap soap can be buyed usually at a local drug store. Showers should be kept short and at a lukewarm/moderate temperature. Steroid medicines which are applied to the skin are called topical steroids.
Topical steroids are drugs that cure inflammation. Topical immunomodulators (TIMS) are also medicines that are applied to the skin. Antihistamines taken by mouth can help reduce itching. They are also used to regulate allergy symptoms. Antihistamines taken by mouth can help minimize itching. Limit exposure to dust, cigarette smoke, pollens, and animal dander.
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10.11.07
Posted in Skin Disorders at 11:24 am by juliet
Bacillary angiomatosis (BA) is the vascular aggrandize form of infection with Bartonella organisms. It is because of bacterial infection with Bartonella quintana and Bartonella henselae Bacillary angiomatosis may affect almost any organ system, though it most commonly affects skin and subcutaneous tissue. B quintana can also cause bacteremia, urban trench fever, and endocarditis in immunocompetent persons.
It is related with lytic bone lesions. Peliosis hepatis and lymph node involvement are linked with B henselae. Nearly 90% of US patients with bacillary angiomatosis are men, probably due to disproportionate number of patients infected with HIV also are men. Skin lesions are nodular and red or purplish in color, and may ultimately ulcerate and drain.
BA may also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, bone, bone marrow, lymph nodes, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, spleen and liver. Bacillary angiomatosis is so featuristic today of aids that it is an AIDS defining disease. A broad age range exists, with infants to elderly people affected.
Symptoms differ depending on which parts of the body are affected; for example, those whose livers are affected may have an enlarged liver and fever. Treatment is generally given until the lesions disappear, which typically takes three or four weeks. It can be simply treated with antibiotics such as erythromycin and doxycycline.
Prompt antibiotic treatment in patients with AIDS cured the infection by either types of the bacteria. Cryotherapy, electrodesiccation and curettage, and surgical assizion of solitary cutaneous lesions can be useful as adjunctive therapy. Supportive therapy involves hydration and analgesics for pain and fever. Warm damp compresses to affected nodes may decrease swelling and tenderness.
Other oral antibiotics and antituberculosis drugs, including tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and rifampin, may also be helpful. Another easily treatment with antibiotics such as erythromycin and doxycycline. Treatment is given till the skin lesions resolve, usually in 3 to 4 weeks. If the infection is severe, then a bactericidal medication can be combined with the antibiotics.
Bacillary Angiomatosis - Prevention and Treatment Tips
1. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) may ease pain, aches, and fever.
2. Doxycycline can also be taken to reduce angiomatosis.
3. Large pus-filled lymph nodes or blisters may require to be drained.
4. Supportive therapy involves hydration and analgesics for pain and fever.
5. Other oral antibiotics and antituberculosis drugs, including tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and rifampin.
6. Erythromycin appears to be the antibiotic of choice and is given till lesions resolve.
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08.08.07
Posted in Skin Disorders at 7:12 am by juliet
The ulcers as a rule heal without scarring, although the ulcerations in the cornea can lead to opacity and blindness. In patients with low immunity, the eruption can be more severe and there is a risk of its spread to the brain.
The virus is susceptible to the anti-viral drug Acyclovir but this drug is unable to prevent the recurrences unless taken continuously. However, whenever the drug is stopped, the recurrencesare likely to restart all over again. It is therefore, obviously impracticable to continue the treatment with Acyclovir for the rest of the life of the patient. The other alternative is to identify methods to destroy permanently the virus for which so far there is no indisputable approach.
Persistence of the virus in the body has been considered responsible for many other immunological disorders in human beings.
A patient having active herpes simplex should avoid close contact with other individuals to prevent transmission of the infection. The area should also be cleaned properly with soap and water to ward off super-added infection and to promote a quicker healing of the lesions.
Herpes simplex in the genital tract (private parts) of the female can also be transmitted to the baby during delivery and herpes simplex in the newborn is definitely more serious than that in adults. Several centres therefore, prefer to deliver the baby through a caesarian section rather than the normal vaginal route in case the pregnant patient has active virus in the vagina.
One of the common mistakes cormflitted by patients who develop the herpes simplex infection but fail to recognise the disease is that they apply a orticosteroid ointment on the lesions. This promotes spread of the infection with more serious consequences.
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