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Background: The epidemic-like scenario of superficial fungal infections in India has been complicated by the prescription of systemic and topical potent steroids. As a result, alarming number of patients are presenting with exogenous Cushing's syndrome. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 23 patients of superficial dermatophytosis on steroids who presented with clinical features like that of Cushing's syndrome. Their clinical details and laboratory investigations including fungal culture and serum cortisol, were recorded on a pre-designed proforma. Results: There were 23 patients (14 males and 9 females) with mean age of 29.47 ± 15.5 years, majority with extensive tinea cruris and corporis. All of them received oral (Betamethasone) or parenteral corticosteroids along with potent topical steroids (clobetasol propionate and betamethasone valerate) for at least two months. In majority (56.5%), treatment was prescribed by unqualified medical practitioners and in the rest by alternative medical practitioners. Striae, buffalo hump, hirsutism were observed in 16 (69.5%), 15 (65.2%), 13 (56.5%) patients, respectively. Serum cortisol estimation revealed low levels and ranged from 0.66 to 6 μg/ml with a mean of 1.53 ± 1.27 μg/ml (normal 7-25 μg/ml). Conclusions: Corticosteroids are life saving for many dermatological diseases; their injudicious use (topical, oral, and parenteral) for prolonged periods in the treatment of superficial dermatophytosis can lead to Cushing's syndrome.

Fabry's disease is a rare X-linked dermatosis, resulting from alpha-galactosidase deficiency and presents with both cutaneous (angiokeratoma, acral paresthesia, and hypohidrosis) and extracutaneous manifestations (ocular, cardiac, renal, and neurological). We report two brothers age 16 and 14 years that presented with multiple angiokeratoma in a bathing suit distribution on the trunk and the scrotum. The younger brother had acral paresthesia too. On systemic screening, ocular involvement was noted in both. Alpha-galactosidase assay in both brothers, revealed a deficiency of 19.2 nmol/h/mg (reference value

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease affecting microvascular circulation causing complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. Nail fold capillaroscopy (NFC) is an in vivo study of microvascular circulation. Aim: The aim of this study is to describe and quantify NFC changes in type 2 diabetics. Materials and Methods: NFC was done for all 10 fingernails for 96 patients with T2DM (as per the American Diabetes Association criteria) and 40 healthy controls. The diabetics were further subdivided into two groups: those with microvascular complications (Group 1, n = 46) and those without any (Group 2, n = 50). Results: Demographic profile was comparable in both the groups. Overall, 80.2% (77/96) of the patients with T2DM showed NFC changes as compared to 12.5% of the healthy controls. Unique morphological alterations in T2DM were angulated and receding capillaries. Mean capillary density was overall reduced, especially in Group 1 (6.57 ± 1.02 capillary/mm) as compared to Group 2 (7.03 ± 1.09 capillary/mm) (P = 0.67). Overall, 89.13% of Group 1 patients had NFC changes as compared to 72% in Group 2 (P = 0.035). Specific morphological changes were also significantly more common in Group 1 than Group 2, including tortuosity (P = 0.035), meandering capillaries (P = 0.004), capillary dropouts (P = 0.012), and bizarre capillaries (P = 0.002). Limitations: A larger sample size study with different demographic populations could have provided a broader picture of NFC changes in T2DM. Conclusion: Our study suggests that NFC changes are correlated with microvascular complications in type 2 diabetics, possibly helping in noninvasive identification of patients at risk.

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by fibrosis and intimal proliferation of cutaneous and visceral small vessels. These architectural abnormalities can be visualized with nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC); the changes being quite characteristic. At the same time, morphological alterations in retinal vascular bed are expected but sparsely described. Aim: We aimed to characterize the frequency and type of retinal microvascular changes in patients with SSc and to analyze any association with NFC changes. Patients and Methods: With institutional ethical committee approval, we recruited 45 consecutive patients with SSc (diagnosed based on American College of Rheumatology and European League against Rheumatism [ACR/EULAR-2013] criteria). NFC was done for all of them with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) dermatoscope; additionally, fundoscopy, fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were analyzed. Disease characteristics in patients with and without retinal disease were compared. Results: Among the 45 SSc patients, 12 (26.67%) had limited cutaneous SSc (lSSc) while 33 (73.33%) had diffuse cutaneous disease (dSSc). Retinal microvascular changes seen as mild arteriolar alteration and arteriovenous crossing changes were recorded in 13 patients (28.89%); mostly in those with dSSc (12/13). The NFC architectural changes were more severe in patients with retinal disease, though the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Patients with SSc can often have retinal microvascular abnormalities commensurate with the vascular changes characteristic of SSc. The severity of retinal changes correlates with changes in NFC. NFC, which is now an essential tool for the management of SSc, could be a surrogate marker for retinal involvement in these patients.

Congenital Erythropoetic Porphyria (CEP) also called the “Günther disease”, is a rare variant of porphyria. It is caused by the deficiency of uroporphyrinogen III synthase (URO-III-synthase), an enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway. Clinically, CEP presents with blistering over face and extremities, scarring, hypertrichosis and dyspigmentation. Acral blistering leads to mutilation of the fingers with acro-osteolysis of distal phalanx We, hereby, report an 8-years-old boy with classical clinical features and porphyrin assays.

Introduction: Ingrown toenail is one of the most commonly encountered nail disorders that adversely affect the quality of life. The common surgical intervention includes partial nail avulsion with chemical matricectomy but it has a relatively longer recovery period. We attempted to study the efficacy and safety of radio frequency (RF) for matricectomy. Materials and Methods: Eight patients with total 10 ingrown toenails (grade 2) were recruited. Partial nail avulsion with RF ablation of matrix was performed. The radio-frequency electrode was placed over the lateral matrix horn for the duration of 3–5s, two to three times. Patients were followed up at regular interval. Outcome was measured in terms of ooze, erythema, pain, and swelling of the lateral nail folds. Results: Of the eight patients, six were males and two were females. Total 10 nails were treated as two patients had bilateral toenail involvement. Average number of days required for postprocedural healing was 7.5 days. Significant improvement was observed in terms of erythema, pain as well as swelling within 4 days of surgery. None of the cases showed any adverse effects or relapse within 3–5 months of follow-up. Conclusion: Matricectomy by radio-frequency ablation is a safe and effective method in the management of ingrown toenail with significant reduction in downtime.

Nail disorders in infants and children do not contribute to substantial pediatric consultations as they are relatively uncommon. Nail changes are often missed as specific nail examination is not routinely done in this age group. The presentation and management of nail disorders in children are different from adults; few being specific to the children. Physiological alterations are common in infants and pediatric age. These should be known to a clinician so as to differentiate from pathological conditions, to reassure parents, and to avoid unnecessary medical intervention. The congenital nail disorders can be a part of major hereditary syndromes requiring further evaluation. Several acquired causes may cause nail dystrophy. Some of them are self-limiting while others may require long-term management. Meticulous and careful nail examination is, therefore, important in neonates, infants and children for early diagnoses, management and to prevent complications. There are few epidemiological studies delineating nail changes in infants and children. In this script, we have comprehensively reviewed nail conditions seen in pediatric population through all stages, i.e., neonates, infants, and children.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of some common fungal infections in relation to the site of involvement over one year period from a tertiary care hospital. Methods Samples were collected from the patients presenting with clinically suspected fungal infections. Direct microscopy with KOH was done to visualize presence of any fungal element and gram staining was done for any suspected yeast infection. For fungal culture all samples were inoculated on two isolation media; one sabouraud's dextrose agar (SDA) and the other SDA with chloramphenicol and cycloheximide. Results A total of 2 228 samples from various infections suspected of fungal etiology were received during the one year period of analysis, out of which nail was the most frequent. Dermatophytes were found to be most frequent fungal isolates. Conclusions There are distinct patterns of geographical variation in the etiology of fungal infections and it is essential to determine the local etiology within a given region when planning a management strategy

Cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a slow growing locally aggressive malignant tumor. It is usually diagnosed on histopathological examination of the excised biopsy. Recently, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is emerging as a simple alternative technique for rapid diagnostic work of nodular and plaque-like skin lesions. We report the cytomorphological features of two cases of cutaneous BCC having unusual clinical presentation and mixed histology (MH); emphasizing the diagnostic difficulties encountered on cytology, the plausible explanation and the precautions to keep in mind to avoid misdiagnosis.

Subungual melanoma (SUM) is an uncommon form of acral melanoma that arises within the nail matrix. The incidence for acral melanomas is similar worldwide, however, the proportion is higher in dark-skinned individuals. The subungual form represents approximately 2% of cutaneous non-sun-induced melanomas in the western world and up to 75% in Africans, 10% in Japanese, and 25% in the Chinese. No specific figures are available from the Indian subcontinent; however, the authors could trace three anecdotal case reports published over the last two decades. A general reluctance to biopsy a nail lesion to confirm the diagnosis may be contributing to the missed diagnosis. We report four cases of SUM of the big toenails seen over a period of 2.5 years. They were three women and one man with an age ranging from the 4th to 7th decade and disease duration of 6–18 months. The lesion involved the big toe in all and two patients had liver and lymph node metastasis at the time of presentation. Awareness among dermatologists regarding clinical manifestations, high index of suspicion for acral pigmented lesions, and nail bed biopsy may help in the early diagnosis and management and can prevent mortality.

Background: Premature canities is a common yet unfathomed disorder. The evidence for the role of micronutrient deficiency in premature canities is not well established. Aim: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the micronutrient levels in Indian patients with premature canities as compared to controls. Materials and Methods: We conducted a case–control study in 52 self-reporting patients with premature canities (

Background: Premature canities is largely an unexplored zone. Its onset in adolescence may have a significant effect on the developing psyche of an individual sufferer, especially in Indian patients with skin of color. Thus far, the impact of premature canities on quality of life (QoL) has not been documented. Aim: To objectively evaluate the impact of premature canities on QoL. Methods: The impact on QoL was calculated with the help of a modified and validated questionnaire on 52 patients with onset of canities before the age of 20 years. Results: The mean modified Dermatology Life Quality Index score recorded was 16.42 ± 5.93. Almost 85% patients were found to have a very large to extremely large effect on the QoL. Embarrassment, need for treatment and guilt were reported most frequently. The less severely affected domains were those pertaining to interpersonal relationship and work or studies. The limitation of the study was small sample size and lack of control group. Conclusion: Patients of premature canities were found to have an adverse impact on their QoL, attributable to the disease, seen most prominently to affect their psychology or emotional well-being and the felt need of medical care. Considering the age group affected, it could have a long-term detrimental effect on their psychological wellbeing.

Introduction: There is a constant need to define the epidemiological and mycological characteristics of onychomycosis (OM) for optimal management strategies. Objectives: To define the epidemiological and mycological characteristics of patients with dermatophyte toenail OM in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: Hundred consecutive patients of KOH and culture-positive dermatophyte toenail OM were subjected to detailed history, clinical examination and investigations. Results: Maximum number of patients (40%) belonged to 31-45 years age group and there was a male preponderance (M:F = 6.7:1). The mean duration of disease was 54 months. Thirty-three patients had fingernail involvement in addition to the toenail OM and 37% had co-existent cutaneous dermatophyte infection. Discoloration was the most common symptom (98%). Ninety-four (94%) patients had distal lateral subungual onychomycosis (DSLO) while two had superficial onychomycosis (SO) and only one had proximal superficial onychomycosis (PSO). Trichophyton interdigitale was the most common etiological agent (61%) followed by Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton verrucosum. Conclusions: Toenail OM is more common in males. DSLO was the most common clinical variant and T. interdigitale the most common etiological fungus responsible for toenail OM in our region. The importance of early diagnosis and treatment is highlighted as long-standing toenail OM predisposes to fingernail onychomycosis and recurrent tinea pedis.

Cutaneous sarcoidosis presents with a wide range of clinical presentations. An uncommon cutaneous manifestation is infiltration of old cutaneous scars with non-caseating granulomas known as scar sarcoidosis. Most of the patients with this clinical entity have other systemic manifestations, particularly pulmonary changes. We report a case of a 50 years old man, presenting with cutaneous sarcoidosis overlying scars of healed herpes zoster.

Leprosy is a chronic inflammatory disease of skin and peripheral nerves. Elimination of leprosy as a public health problem was reached at the global level in the year 2000 and by India on 31(st) December, 2005. Thereafter, leprosy services in India have been integrated with General Health-Care System resulting in reduced focus and funds. Sustaining the gains made so far in controlling leprosy is a big challenge and there is no time for complacency. Pockets of high endemicity with prevalence rate of > 1 still exist in many states. Our data from a tertiary care center indicates poor epidemiological control and ongoing disease transmission. To combat this, dermatologists all over India should continue to play a central role in capacity building and training of undergraduate and post-graduate students, medical officers, and field workers.

We report a case of chemical leucoderma (CL) in a 15-year-old girl, who developed patterned depigmentation at the back of both ear lobules after contact with plastic ear-ring stoppers made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) after continuous use for 6–7 months. Patch test with Indian standard series and cosmetic series was negative after 48 h, but she refused patch testing for extended duration as the possibility of induced depigmentation at the test site was unacceptable to her. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of plastic ear-ring stopper induced CL.