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Background: Increased allergy frequency may have a significant impact on the skin, one of the largest targeted organs for allergic and immunological responses. Methods: An online survey of 2036 adults as a representative sample of the French general population was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported allergies, the populations who report allergies and the skin conditions related to allergies. Results: In general, 20.2% of French adults (average age 45 ± 15.8 years) reported allergies. These allergies were respiratory allergies (55.3%), skin allergies (48.8%) and food allergies (27.9%), and 78.9% indicated that their reported allergies were diagnosed by a doctor. In addition, 53.2% of individuals reporting an allergy also indicated that they experienced associated skin reactions. In comparison to those who did not report an allergy, these individuals were 1.5 to 4 times more likely to have a skin disease and 3 times more likely to have sensitive skin or skin reactions when using skincare products. Conclusion: It is estimated that over 10 million French adults have allergies. These data will help increase awareness among the allergic population and healthcare professionals about the burden associated with allergies and the need for management to reduce their health impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atopic dermatitis is a highly prevalent, chronic, relapsing disease in both adults and children. On the severity spectrum, lower-end patients benefit from small amounts of topical anti-inflammatory treatments (TAT), whereas higher-end patients need systemic immunosuppressants; in-between patients are treated with TAT and phototherapy. The major therapeutic challenge in this population is the long-term control of disease activity, and the current TAT-based pro-active strategy does not meet all their needs. Immunosuppressants are used as long-term control add-on treatments, but they are restricted to the most severely affected patients because of safety concerns. In addition, neither immunosuppressants nor other strategies have been properly evaluated in the long term despite long-term control having been acknowledged as one of the most important core outcome domains to be targeted in atopic dermatitis trials. Safe add-on therapies, rigorously evaluated for long-term control of the disease, are therefore needed. Phototherapy and vitamin D supplementation are both good candidates., Methods: This is a multicenter, national, randomized, superiority, crossover trial testing add-on phototherapy (one winter under spaced sessions of phototherapy and one winter under observation) among subjects receiving standard care (i.e., TAT). On the same population, we will test the long-term control provided by oral supplementation of vitamin D versus placebo in a randomized, superiority, double-blind, parallel-group trial. The primary outcomes are (1) repeat measures of the PO-SCORAD severity score over 1 year and (2) cumulate consumption of TAT (number of tubes) during the winter. They will be tested following a hierarchical testing procedure. The secondary outcomes will be measures repeated over 2 years of investigator-based severity scores, patient-reported severity and quality of life scores, serum vitamin D levels, weeks during which the disease is well-controlled, inter-visit cumulate consumption of TAT, and synthetic patient-reported satisfaction at the end of each winter., Discussion: This study includes two separate 2-year pragmatic trials designed to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation and pro-active phototherapy for primary care atopic dermatitis patients receiving TAT on long-term control of disease activity. The experimental design enables the study of both interventions and exploration of the interaction between vitamin D and phototherapy. A pragmatic trial is particularly suited to the assessment of long-term control. This study explores the possibility of new and safe therapeutic strategies for the control of long-term atopic dermatitis, and is an example of efficacy research that is unlikely to be sponsored by industrialists. A potentially effective low-cost therapeutic strategy for long-term control is essential for patients and public health., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02537509 , first received: 1 September 2015.

Aims: Linear immunoglobin A (IgA) bullous dermatosis is a rare autoimmune dermatosis considered spontaneous or drug-induced (DILAD). We assessed all DILAD cases, determined the imputability score of drugs and highlighted suspected drugs., Methods: Data for patients with DILAD were collected retrospectively from the French Pharmacovigilance network (from 1985 to 2017) and from physicians involved in the Bullous Diseases French Study Group and the French Investigators for Skin Adverse Reactions to Drugs. Drug causality was systematically determined by the French imputability method., Results: Of the 69 patients, 42% had mucous membrane involvement, 20% lesions mimicking toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), 21% eosinophil infiltrates and 10% keratinocytes necrosis. Direct immunofluorescence, in 80%, showed isolated linear IgA deposits. Vancomycin (VCM) was suspected in 39 cases (57%), 11 had TEN-like lesions, as compared with three without VCM suspected. Among the 33 patients with a single suspected drug, 85% had an intrinsic imputability score of I4. Among them, enoxaparin, minocycline and vibramycin were previously unpublished. For all patients, the suspect drug was withdrawn; 15 did not receive any treatment. First-line therapy for 31 patients was topical steroids. Among the 60 patients with available follow-up, 52 achieved remission, 10 without treatment. Four patients experienced relapse, four died and five had positive accidental rechallenges., Conclusions: There is no major clinical difference between DILAD and idiopathic linear IgA bullous dermatosis, but the former features a higher prevalence of patients mimicking TEN. VCM, suspected in more than half of the cases, might be responsible for more severe clinical presentations. We report three new putative drugs., (© 2018 The British Pharmacological Society.)

Epidermal necrolysis (EN) encompasses Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS, < 10% of the skin affected), Lyell syndrome (toxic epidermal necrolysis, TEN, with ≥30% of the skin affected) and an overlap syndrome (10 to 29% of the skin affected). These rare diseases are caused, in 85% of cases, by pharmacological treatments, with symptoms occurring 4 to 28 days after treatment initiation. Mortality is 20 to 25% during the acute phase, and almost all patients display disabling sequelae (mostly ocular impairment and psychological distress).The objective of this French national diagnosis and care protocol (protocole national de diagnostic et de soins; PNDS), based on a critical literature review and on a multidisciplinary expert consensus, is to provide health professionals with an explanation of the optimal management and care of patients with EN. This PNDS, written by the French National Reference Center for Toxic Bullous Dermatoses was updated in 2017 ( https://www.has-sante.fr/portail/jcms/c&#95;1012735/fr/necrolyse-epidermique-syndromes-de-stevens-johnson-et-de-lyell ). The cornerstone of the management of these patients during the acute phase is an immediate withdrawal of the responsible drug, patient management in a dermatology department, intensive care or burn units used to dealing with this disease, supportive care and close monitoring, the prevention and treatment of infections, and a multidisciplinary approach to sequelae. Based on published data, it is not currently possible to recommend any specific immunomodulatory treatment. Only the culprit drug and chemically similar molecules must be lifelong contraindicated.

In September 2023, France was one of the first countries that started a national immunisation campaign with nirsevimab, a new monoclonal antibody against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Using data from a network of paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), we aimed to estimate nirsevimab effectiveness against severe cases of RSV bronchiolitis in France. We conducted a case–control study based on the test‐negative design and included 288 infants reported by 20 PICUs. We estimated nirsevimab effectiveness at 75.9% (48.5–88.7) in the main analysis and 80.6% (61.6–90.3) and 80.4% (61.7–89.9) in two sensitivity analyses. These real‐world estimates confirmed the efficacy observed in clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

introduction We aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of specific symptoms and predictors of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome using data collected from an anonymous online survey. methods We included adult participants with symptoms ≥60 days (D60+), fulfilling the World Health Organization COVID-19 cases definition, and/or hospitalized for COVID-19 at the time of infection (D0). Self-reported symptoms were collected at D0 and D60+. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with self-reported cutaneous signs prevalence and self-reported tachycardia and/ or HBP incidence on D60+. results From April to June 2020, 956 members of a Twitter long-term COVID-19 community were included in the study population: 81% were women, 81% were aged <50 year, 22% were smokers, and 95% have never been hospitalized. At D60+, the 956 participants reported a broad spectrum of symptoms which were also present at D0+. At D60+, 16% and 39% of participants reported cutaneous signs and tachycardia and/or hypertension, respectively. The incidence of self-reported tachycardia and/or hypertension at D60+ was 12%. Female gender (AOR=2.56; 95% CI: 1.22-6.1) and smoking (AOR=2.34; 95% CI: 1.39-3.92) were associated with prevalence of cutaneous signs at D60+. Smoking (AOR=2.05; 95% CI: 1.23.47) was the main correlate of tachycardia and/or HBP incidence at D60+. conclusions The incidence of self-reported tachycardia and/or hypertension is not negligible and suggests an interaction between COVID-19 and smoking. Reinforcing symptoms monitoring of people after acute COVID-19, mainly women and smokers, and expanding the promotion of smoking cessation strategies are novel priorities in this COVID-19 era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to understand patients' and dermatologists' perceptions of various aspects of atopic dermatitis, but there is a lack of studies on quality of life and stakeholder viewpoints in this therapy area. The aim of this study was to compare patients' and dermatologists' viewpoints regarding the impact of atopic dermatitis that is uncontrolled by topical corticosteroids. Data were collected from 348 adult patients who responded to self-administered questionnaires, and 150 telephone interviews with the dermatologists who selected them. Patients and dermatologists reported both convergent and divergent assessments of the impact of atopic dermatitis and its treatment. Notable areas of agreement were regarding the safety of emollients, the time required and difficulty of applying topical corticosteroids, especially to certain parts of the body. Divergent views involved the perceived efficacy of available treatments and the impact of atopic dermatitis on professional life. A greater understanding of these differences would help dermatologists to optimize patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a unique atypical application of the sonography technique and a methodological description of the introduction of this technique to research. The Bayesian approach applied to validation of the Doppler method for intravascular detection of the free gas phase instead of typical statistical inference has been demonstrated in the article. It describes the place of this method in the diving research work conducted in the Polish Naval Academy without any detailed analysis of the results achieved in the studies on decompression supported by ultrasonic detection of the free gas phase in venous vessels. It is a commonly held opinion that Doppler ultrasonic detection of the intravascular free gas phase is not a procedure that can be particularly useful in decompression research. The main objection is that detection of the free gas phase in venous vessels is a weak function to predict the presence of the free gas phase in tissues and arterial blood, so this method is not suitable for assessing the risk of decompression. Only a few countries disagree with this commonly held view and use this method to assess the risk of decompression in decompression studies. France has introduced detection of the free gas phase in venous vessels for diving research and then, together with Canada, improved this method, and developed it to a standard form. Based on the published results of the Canadian research, the technique was evaluated at the Naval Academy using statistical methods. The Academy accepted and adopted the results of this research and started to use this method in its own research on decompression over 25 years ago and continues to use it to great effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nicorandil‐induced ulcers remain often poorly recognised, with a late diagnosis and an inadequate management. We aimed to provide a clinical overview of the 148 spontaneously reported cases of nicorandil‐induced ulcers to the French pharmacovigilance network between 2005 and 2014 and to complete this picture with worldwide published cases over the same period. Spontaneously reported nicorandil‐induced ulcers were mainly mucosal (oral and anal) with a previous trauma in 23·0% of patients, revealed by a severe complication in 12·8% of cases. The mean cumulative dose of nicorandil was higher in serious cases. The median delay between the start of nicorandil use and the onset of the ulcer was 23·4 months, and after the ulcer was diagnosed, the median time to incriminate nicorandil was still 3·3 months, being shorter for mucosal ulcerations than for cutaneous ulcerations (5·2 versus 14·0 months, P = 0·001). The anatomic distribution in the 199 published cases differed slightly, but delays were similar. The hypothesis of mechanism becomes more precise, leaving no doubt about the necessity to discontinue the treatment. Practitioners need to be aware that nicorandil‐induced ulcers can occur in many locations, possibly multiple and complicated, and should be simply managed by discontinuing treatment with no further reintroduction of nicorandil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poppers are legal and largely used in France despite severe side effects, such as methaemoglobinaemia (MetHbia). Our work aimed to assess the prevalence of poppers consumers among patients with a MetHbia higher than or equal to 5% in French university hospitals and its evolution before and after the legalization of poppers in France. We conducted a national multicentre observational retrospective study. All patients for whom at least one MetHbia measurement was performed from 2012 to 2017 in university hospitals where the French addictovigilance network (FAN) is implanted were included. For each MetHbia measurement exceeding or equal to 5%, a return to the clinical file was made by the FAN to assess poppers consumption. We calculated the prevalence of MetHbia exceeding or equal to 5% and 25% and the prevalence of poppers consumption before and after the legalization. A total of 239 (0.14%) patients had a MetHbia level exceeding or equal to 5% with 25 (10.46%) cases of poppers consumption. Poppers consumption represented 68.4% (13 out of 19) of cases with MetHbia greater than or equal to 25%. Poppers consumption among patients with MetHbia exceeding or equal to 5% increased after the legalization from 4.76% to 11.67% (prevalence ratio PR = 2.45, 95% CI = [0.98–8.37], p-value = 0.190). The proportion of patients with a MetHbia level of 25% or more increased after the legalization from 4.76% to 8.63% (PR = 1.81, 95% CI = [0.68–6.82], p-value = 0.374). The use of poppers is very frequently reported by patients with MetHbia greater than or equal to 25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]