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Background: There are a limited number of studies evaluating the effects of alopecia areata (AA) on the health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) of pediatric patients and their families. This study aimed to assess the HRQoL of pediatric patients with AA and their parents. Materials and methods: This single‐center cross‐sectional cohort study included 72 pediatric patients diagnosed with AA. The study was conducted between December 2020 and December 2021 in the dermatology department of a single tertiary center in Turkey. The HRQoL index of the pediatric patients was assessed with the Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI). At the same time, their parents, who were primarily involved in the disease process, were evaluated using the Dermatological Family Impact Scale (DeFIS). An ordinal logistic regression model was used to detect predictors for CDLQI severity. Results: The mean ± SD CDLQI of the pediatric patients who participated in our study was 8.4 ± 5.3, corresponding to moderate impairment. The highest impairment in CDLQI was observed in the symptoms and feelings domain, while the slightest impairment was observed in the domain of personal relationships (P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score and all CDLQI domains, and the most substantial relationship was with the leisure domain (r = 0.78, P < 0.001). DeFIS scores of female patients were substantially higher than males (25.3 ± 8.6 vs. 17.6 ± 9, P = 0.001). Conclusion: Our study supports that AA is a disease that significantly impacts the HRQoL of affected children and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study compared the secukinumab treatment responses and adverse effects in psoriatic arthritis patients who received secukinumab as second-line with those that received secukinumab after two or more tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) inhibitors. Patients and methods: The retrospective study included 68 psoriatic arthritis patients followed up between October 2018 and October 2021. The patients were divided into two groups according to their anti-TNF-a treatment history. Group 1 consisted of 29 patients (11 males, 18 females; mean age: 45.3±13.3 years; range, 21 to 69 years) who had previously received one anti-TNF-a agent, while Group 2 included 39 patients (18 males, 21 females; mean age: 46.4±13.0 years; range, 24 to 70 years) who had been treated with two or more anti-TNF-a agents. Treatment responses of the groups were measured and compared using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). A posttreatment BASDAI score =4 was used as a criterion for remission. Results: The mean duration of secukinumab treatment was 16.6±12.7 months for Group 1 and 16.0±11.6 months for Group 2 (p=0.84). Both groups responded significantly to secukinumab in terms of BASDAI and VAS scores (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Group 1 had a greater decline in BASDAI and VAS scores than Group 2 (p=0.045 and p=0.032, respectively). Furthermore, the remission rate was greater in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (58% vs. 34%, p=0.03). The adverse effects of secukinumab treatment were an allergic reaction in Group 1 and one case of ulcerative colitis in Group 2. Conclusion: Second-line secukinumab treatment resulted in a greater decline in BASDAI and VAS scores. Moreover, secukinumab achieved a significantly higher rate of remission when it was used as second-line therapy after one anti-TNF-a agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are rare in Behçet syndrome (BS) but may result in life‐threatening complications. AAA are generally treated with surgical intervention following aggressive immunosuppressive therapy. Healing with wall calcification and mural thrombus for AAA is scarcely reported in the literature. Herein, we present a female patient who developed a large saccular aneurysm in the infra‐renal abdominal aorta 6 months after the diagnosis. Endovascular intervention was not found to be possible because of the dimensions of the aneurysm and the patient did not consent for open surgery. Therefore, she received only immunosuppressive treatment. By the second year of follow‐up, we detected reduction in the size of AAA, along with circumferential wall calcification and mural thrombus. The patient was followed‐up for 20 years without rupture and currently doing well. This case demonstrates that calcified large saccular AAA might not necessitate surgical intervention and be followed‐up for many years without any complication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiomyopathies cause most intracardiac thrombosis (ICT), and Behçet's syndrome (BS) is a rare inflammatory disease that can be responsible for a proportion of ICT. Other inflammatory disorders involved in the aetiology of ICT include antiphospholipid syndrome, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, COVID-19, and Loeffler endocarditis. ICT usually occur during the active phase of BS, and they have a close relationship with vascular involvement. Atrial myxomas are benign cardiac tumours arising from the interatrial septum. They can lead to a substantial acute phase response, making them difficult to distinguish from inflammatory diseases. In this case study, we present a 46-year-old female BS patient who presented with constitutional symptoms mimicking BS flare in a routine follow-up visit and was diagnosed with left atrial myxoma after administration of several lines of immunosuppressives. Then, she underwent surgical tumour excision, and a histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis.In conclusion, atrial myxoma should be kept in mind first of all when suspecting ICT, and advanced imaging methods such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be used if necessary.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the elderly population and characterized by the formation of subepidermal tense bullae. Treatment options include topical steroids, systemic steroids, immunosuppressants, and antimicrobials, and there is emerging evidence of the efficacy of omalizumab. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate omalizumab's efficacy for treating BP, and we also reported treatment-related adverse events. The retrospective cohort study included patients with BP who were followed up in our clinic's bullous diseases department between 2016 and 2023. Patients who received omalizumab were included in the study. Treatment responses of all patients were assessed by BP Disease Area Index activity and damage scores, treatment scale scoring, steroid dose reduction, and the presence/absence of pruritus. Also, total IgE levels of patients before the treatment onset and at the last visit were compared. There were 15 (male/female = 8/7) BP patients receiving omalizumab treatment. Omalizumab therapy allowed steroid dose reduction at a median of 1 month. Omalizumab (25.5 mg, 95% confidence interval 17.2-33.9, P < .001) provided a significant steroid dose reduction at the last visit compared to the beginning of treatment. Omalizumab resulted in a decrease in BP Disease Area Index activity score of 80.8 (95% confidence interval 71.8-89.8, P < .001). Also, omalizumab caused significant decline in IgE levels compared to baseline (1102.5 ± 834.5 vs 834.6 ± 613.6, P = .002). In this study, omalizumab treatment was an effective and safe option in BP patients with high baseline IgE levels who are refractory to or cannot tolerate other immunosuppressive therapies., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)