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Atopic dermatitis is associated with an increased risk of asthma (10 to 30% according to age), allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis and food allergy. Other comorbidiies are globally lest frequent than in psoriasis. There is no increased risk of solid cancer. Smoking is a major confounding factor that has to be taken into account. Obesity and metabolic syndrome are more frequent and there is a moderately increased cardiovascular risk in severe forms of atopic dermatitis. There is a clear-cut increased risk of vitiligo and alopecia areata and a lower risk of other auto-immune diseases, including type I diabetes in children. There is a higher risk of cutaneous but not extra-cutaneous bacterial and viral infections, and increased frequency of contact dermatitis and urticaria. Severe atopic dermatitis is associated with psychiatric comorbidities, like attention disorders/hyperactivity, depression and suicidal ideas. © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés.)

Introduction: Skin diseases are a major public health problem in developing countries. In common practice, children represent the most affected segment of the population. This study aims to describe the epidemiological and clinical aspects of skin diseases in children aged 0-15 years receiving dermatological consultation in the Department of Dermatology at the National Center for Disease Control in Bamako (Mali)., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at the National Center for Disease Control from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009.Out of a total of 16339 patients who had undergone a dermatological consultation 5149 children were included in the study., Results: Dermatitis-frequency in hospital attending children was 31.51%. We enrolled 2838 boys (55,10%) and 2311 girls (44.90%), with a sex-ratio of 1,22. Patient age ranged from 03 days to 15 years with an average age of 8 ± 5.7 years. Infectious dermatoses accounted for 55.10% of all dermatoses, immuno-allergic dermatoses (32.5%), inflammatory dermatoses (11.85%)., Conclusion: Our study highlights the severity of infectious and immuno-allergic pathologies and the necessity to promote simple preventive measures such as hygiene, buying a clipper for each child., Competing Interests: Les auteurs ne déclarent aucun conflit d'intérêts.

Introduction: This is an evaluation of professional practices (EPP) on antibiotic therapy in an internal medicine ward., Material and Methods: A 6-month prospective review of antibiotic prescriptions and their comparisons with local and national guidelines (drug, daily dose, administration, and duration) were performed., Results: Antibiotic therapy on 227 infectious episodes was collected. According to local guidelines, we found 56% of totally respected (lower respiratory tract infections: 38%, urinary tract infections: 88% and skin infections: 73%), 33% of partially respected and 11% of non-appropriate prescriptions. Considering national guidelines for lower respiratory tract infections as references, the results were: totally respected prescriptions 81%, partially respected prescriptions 16%, and non-appropriate prescriptions 3%., Conclusion: This evaluation of the prescriptions allowed setting up long-lasting actions to improve clinical practice. This approach anticipates the procedures of EPP that will be needed for hospital accreditation and highlights the importance of considering several guidelines for the interpretation of the results., (Copyright © 2012 Société nationale française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dermatological emergencies generally consist of infection and inflammation, including cutaneous drug reactions. Most patients are either not seen again or else are followed by their GP, but it may be a long time before they see a dermatologist once more, even if monitoring is necessary. We created a rapid post-emergency consultation reserved for these patients alone requiring short-term reevaluation, and we report the results of the new consultation herein., Results: One consultation per week is exclusively for patients seen in dermatological emergency units requiring rapid reassessment (i.e. within two weeks) for follow-up or in cases of uncertainty in the diagnosis. Between June 2008 and June 2009, 40 consultations were carried out, with 370 patients being enrolled and 214 attending the consultation (40% absenteeism), i.e. 3% of emergency unit patients. The mean time from the emergency consultation was 9.2 days and the reasons for consultation were: 34% infectious dermatoses, 36% inflammatory dermatoses, 7.5% cutaneous drug reactions and 19% miscellaneous diagnosis, with 4.2% uncertainty about diagnosis. The outcome after the emergency consultation was favourable in 76% of cases (complete healing or improvement). A follow-up consultation was proposed in 41.5% of cases, with 77.5% of patients attending. While the creation of this consultation did not significantly reduce the number of patients returning to the emergency service, it was welcomed by all dermatologists in charge of such dermatological emergency services., Conclusion: This rapid post-emergency consultation forms a small part of the activities of the dermatological emergency unit but is positive in the view of the dermatologists in charge of emergency consultations since it means patients can be given appointments soon after initial treatment, thus avoiding the need to return to the emergency unit. The diseases seen at this unit are similar to those seen in the emergency unit. While absenteeism is considerable, this type of consultation results in the organisation of further ongoing care for 40% of patients, most of whom comply with treatment., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The koranic schools are in poor socio-economical conditions in Dakar and skin diseases are common in these conditions. The goal of our descriptive study was to determine the prevalence of skin diseases occurring in these situations. One hundred five boys from four koranic schools of Dakar were examined. Eighty percent of the examined boys were with unless one skin disease. Tinea capitis (42.66%), scabiosis (13.33%), pyoderma (15.33%), plantar keratodermia (100%) were the skin diseases. In 34.52% these skin disease were associated and antecedents of skin infections diseases were reported in 89.5% of boys. Atopic dermatitis was in 2.38% cases, keloid in 1.19%. The other frequent diseases were abdominal parasitosis (71.42%), umbilical hernia (6.66%). All skin diseases were improved only in 50% of cases after two months of treatment. Tinea capitis was cured in 4 months after treatment. The high prevalence and the chronicity of the skin disease were due to poor socio-economical conditions.

We present a descriptive analysis of dermatoses observed in Lao RDP. A total of 421 patients consulted in 3 provinces. A predominance of infectious dermatoses, rarity of acne and absence of skin cancer were notified. These observations are consistent with what has been observed in developing countries in the tropics. But, the causes of consultation are different from other more developed Asian countries.

Background: We recently carried out a study concerning consultations by French dermatologists in private practice. We evaluated consultations at the dermatology departments of 3 university teaching hospitals in France., Materials and Methods: This was a 2-month prospective study conducted in 2003 at the dermatology departments of the university teaching hospitals of Amiens, Lille and Rouen. Each consultant completed a questionnaire covering the duration of the study. The following data were recorded: consultation date, function of the consultant, study centre, type of consultation, type of disease, and whether or not the patient was hospitalised after the consultation., Results: 7296 files were examined during the study. 38% of the consultations were performed by part-time hospital consultants, 29% by dermatology interns, 18% by hospital practitioners, 9% by university professors and 6% by clinical heads or assistant heads. The most commonly encountered diseases were allergies (17%), cancer (16%), arteriovenous disease (15%) and infectious disease (11%). Three types of consultation were identified: emergency consultations without an appointment, consultations by appointment for a specific problem and consultations by appointment without a specific problem. The number of resulting hospital admissions ranged from 2 to 10% of consultations, depending on the type of consultation and the role of the consultant in question., Discussion: This study shows that in France, consultations at hospital dermatology departments differ greatly from those of dermatologists in private practice. The main diseases seen (cancer, arteriovenous disease, allergy, infectious dermatosis) accounted for the majority of hospitalisations in these departments. The organisation of hospital consultations is increasingly tending both towards treatment of highly specialised diseases through specifically oriented consultations and also towards the emergency treatment of certain forms of acute dermatosis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for postoperative infection after craniotomy, a threat for the vital prognosis, in order to define specific prevention measures., Method and Patients: An open prospective study was made on all adult patients undergoing craniotomy and followed 30 days postoperatively. The infections were defined according to CDCA criteria. The parameters studied were: age, sex, ASA and Glasgow scores, neurosurgical history, the type, the moment and the surface of shaving, antibioprophylaxis, and the type and duration of surgery as well as its emergency level., Results: One hundred and seventy patients were included. Thirty presented with an infection (17.6%), nine with a skull infection, 13 with meningitis, three with empyema, and two with osteitis. The risk factors identified thanks to a univariate analysis were the emergency level of surgery (P < 0.01), duration of surgery >200 min, and duration of stay in ICU >72 h (P < 0.02).

Background: Use of depigmenting agents by black women for cosmetic purposes is a long-standing practice. Most depigmenting agents contain topical steroids and hydroquinone. The purpose of this study was to clarify prevalence data on use of depigmenting agents in a female population in Senegal and to report the incidence and main features of adverse skin reactions in addition to possible associations with diabetes, hypertension and renal insufficiency., Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was made in a representative sample of 147 hospitalized women aged from 15 to 60 years. The incidence of adverse skin reactions, diabetes, hypertension and serum creatinine in 41 women admitting use of depigmenting agents was compared to those found in 85 women who maintained they had never used depigmenting agents. Two patients who refused to participate in the study and 19 others who did use depigmenting products and had stopped their use for at least 3 months were excluded from the analysis., Results: The prevalence of use of depigmenting agents was 27.9% (47/147). Adverse skin reactions were significantly more frequent among these patients. Effects observed were similar to those reported for prolonged use of topical steroids but also included periorbitary dyschromia, exogenous ochronosis, infectious dermatosis, and, in particular, extended dermatophytosis and necrotizing cellulitis, contact eczema, and certain hyperpigmentation when depigmenting agents were discontinued. Presence of relative hyperpigmentation of the dorsal phalanges identified use of depigmenting agents with a 100% specificity. Prevalence of diabetes and hypertension was significantly higher among the group of women using depigmenting agents (46.3% and 8.2%, versus 34.1% and 8.2% respectively). There was no difference for renal insufficiency. The risk increased independently of age depending on whether duration of use was less than 10 years or not with a relative risk that rose from 3.63 (1.2-10.47) to 6.47 (3.41-12.32) for diabetes and from 1.34 (0.45-3.96) to 2.65 (1.27-5.51) for hypertension, clearly suggesting a possible dose effect., Discussion: The prevalence of use of depigmenting agents in this first published hospital series confirms the widespread nature of this phenomenon in Senegal. While certain patent skin signs are similar to those described in the literature, and excluding specific features related to the hospital setting, this is the first report of a dose-effect between use of depigmentation agents and diabetes and hypertension, probably via the effect of topical steroids.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to evaluate the outcomes and the cost of the dermatological consultation for poor and destitute patients, in Saint-Louis Hospital., Patients and Methods: We carried out a prospective study from May to October 1996. One hundred and eighty-nine patients (237 consultations) who had no social welfare, were examined., Results: They revealed that 82 p. 100 were male, 63.7 p. 100 were French, 13.9 p. 100 came from Maghreb, 9.7 p. 100 from Sub-Saharan Africa, 73 p. 100 were homeless and 25.7 p. 100 were alcoholic. The average age was around 37.6. The main medical disorders: scabies (56.5 p. 100), lice (22.4 p. 100) and cutaneous infections (7.2 p. 100) were related to the patients' living conditions and their social and economic situation. The other diseases observed were identical to the ones detected in regular health care centers. Complementary laboratories were necessary in 9.3 p. 100 consultations. Only 2 p. 100 of patients were admitted in Hospital. Local treatment was applied by nurses in 67 p. 100 of cases. Drugs were delivered free of charge by the Hospital's pharmacy in 64 p. 100 of cases. The cost of drugs was 83 FF per patient. The mean of duration of treatment was 10.5 days., Discussion: Social workers are a key element in helping the patients to recover their social rights (49 p. 100 of patients have recovered social rights after 6 months). The frequency of skin diseases is higher in this population than in general population, especially in homeless persons. Access to health care is a problem of public health.

Objectives: Following the recent report of necrosing fasciitis cases in Great Britain, we conducted a study of group A streptococci infections in France to evaluate the frequency and severity of the different clinical presentations, particularly necrosing fasciitis., Methods: Thirteen hospital laboratories were selected because of the large number of group A streptococci blood cultures they observed in 1993. The microbiologists in these hospitals, in relation with clinicians, identified 83 patients with a group A streptococci bacteraemia between January 1, 1993 and June 30, 1994., Results: Sixty-three percent of the patients had an underlying condition: 39% had a chronic general or local disease and 24% had severe immunodepression. The skin portal of entry was found for 70% of the cases. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to the clinical picture: there were 16 cases of streptococci shock syndrome, 13 with deep infections, 25 infections of soft tissue (including 3 cases of fasciitis) and 29 cases of isolated bacteraemia., Conclusion: Overall, one-fourth of the patients died due to the streptococci infection, one-half of whom had a toxic shock syndrome. Mortality was correlated with age and health status, but also with the clinical presentation of the disease. Compared with former years, there was no increase in the number of group A streptococci infections, nor in the number of necrotizing fasciitis in France in 1993. However, streptococci shock syndrome is of particular importance because of its frequency and poor outcome.

Over a 2-year period, 479 cases of nosocomial infections were identified in our hospital by a surveillance method based on the bacteriological laboratory results. The monthly incidence rate ranged from 1.8 to 4 percent of all in-patients. With this method, a 2 percent background noise and a 4 percent alarm threshold could be defined. The most frequent nosocomial infections were urinary tract infections (77 percent), purulent skin infections (12 percent) and septicaemias (10 percent). Compared during 15 days with the most sensitive surveillance method of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System, our method proved insufficient to detect nosocomial lung infections and superficial surgical wound infections. On the other hand, it was highly satisfactory to watch for urinary tract infections and septicaemias. Improvements that would not put a heavy burden on the work of clinical departments are suggested.

We report the results of a retrospective inquiry concerning atypical cutaneous mycobacterioses in France over the last 5 years. Ninety-two cases were observed, contracted from aquariums (50 p. 100), in swimming pools (4.4 p. 100) and as a result of mesotherapy (15.2 p. 100); 66.3 p. 100 of the patients had no other pathology; 17.4 p. 100 were immunodepressed. Bacteriological examination was positive in 44.7 p. 100 of the cases; swabbing, scratching and punturing were better than biopsy to obtain a bacteriological culture. Mycobacteria were identified in 59.8 p. 100 of the cultures. In order of frequency, the pathogens were Mycobacterium marinum (from aquariums), M. chelonae (from iatrogenic lesions) and M. avium-intracellulare (in immunodepression). M. fortuitum, M. ulcerans, M. flavescens, M. haemophilum and M. kansasii were rare. The formation of epithelial giant-cell granulomas was observed in patients without any other pathology. Non-specific infiltration was found in patients with immunodepression and bacteriological examination was often positive in those with non-specific infiltrates. The treatment of atypical cutaneous mycobacterioses is always difficult; third generation tetracyclines and antibacterial combinations are often prescribed, but the results of in vitro tests are not reproducible in vivo. New antibiotics, such as clarithromycin, quinolones, ansamycin and clofazimine, are currently being tested.

The authors report the results of a systematic study of the skin conducted during three months in 306 neonates born in a hospital maternity unit in the Hauts-de-Seine departement, France. Two hundred and ninety-nine infants could be examined: 91 (30.5 p. 100) developed erythema toxicum neonatorum; 102 (34 p. 100) had port wine naevus; 42 (14 p. 100) mongolian spot, and 10 (3.5 p. 100) pigmented epidermal naevus. Various other abnormalities were found. These findings are compared with those of previous French (5, 14) and foreign (1, 3, 7-11, 13, 16, 17-19) studies.

One hundred and ten skin infections with herpes virus were seen in a uniform group of 1,002 lymphoma-leukaemias dominated by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (385) and Hodgkin's Disease (327). They appeared with a significantly increased frequency in the course of Hodgkin's Disease, and between the ages of 60 and 69 for the other groups. In the Hodgkin's cases they appeared characteristically during complete remission and in the others during the active phase of their disease. Only exceptionally was there evidence of contact infection. Also these infections seemed mainly due to the re-awakening of a latent virus infection as against a failure of natural defense mechanisms of the organism, which the disease itself and the therapeutic regime might alter in a variable fashion.

Human Orf disease is an exceptional dermatologic benign condition, due to a Parapox virus. In sheep and goats this infection is termed "Ecthyma Contagiosum". Human beings are contaminated from infected animals. We report three cases of Orf disease in the same family. Typical viral particles have been identified in the skin of one of these patients by electronic microscopy but cultures failed to recover the pathogen. A complete study of the literature allows us to review current knowledge on this disease with which practitioners are unfamiliar.

The prevalence of infectious diseases at our hospital (Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, Lausanne [CHUV], 900 beds) was studied retrospectively over a two years period (1980-1981). The medical diagnosis of 30203 patients recorded in the computerized medical archives, representing 93% of the patients admitted during the period of observation, was reviewed. To assess the reliability of the computerized data, quality control was carried out through detailed analysis of all the histologically proven appendicitis recorded during 1981. 88% of the histologically proven appendicitis were registered in the computer and the diagnosis was specific in 87% of cases. An infectious disease was the primary reason for admission in 12.8% of the patients (3873) during the study period. Altogether, 20.2% of patients presented with an infection during their hospital stay. Because of the retrospective nature of the study it was not possible to determine whether these additional infections were nosocomially acquired. The organ systems most frequently infected were the respiratory tract (28.5% of all infections), the digestive tract (20.5%), the skin and osteoarticular system (16%) and the urogenital tract (11.6%). An infection was the primary reason for admission of 40.2% of the patients hospitalized in the dermatology service, of 19.7% of patients admitted in internal medicine, of 15-17% of the patients admitted in pediatrics, ENT and general surgery, and of 1-2% of the patients admitted in neurosurgery and radiotherapy. These observations highlight the continuing importance of infectious diseases in a modern hospital, in spite of high socio-economic levels, stringent hygiene and epidemiologic measures, and modern antibiotic availability.