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This article presents the findings of a study conducted in Turkey to determine the prevalence and degree of hirsutism in women of reproductive age. The study included a total of 5,282 patients, with 15.8% of them having hirsutism. The study found that the prevalence of hirsutism varied between geographical regions, with the Mediterranean region having the highest prevalence at 22.3% and the Southeastern Anatolia region having the lowest at 5.6%. The study also determined that the most important body areas contributing to hirsutism were the lower abdomen, thighs, chin, and upper lip. The study provides valuable information on the prevalence of hirsutism in Turkey and highlights the regional differences in its occurrence. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: There are limited studies on the frequency of other sexually transmitted diseases in patients with anogenital warts (AGWs). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in patients with AGWs. Material and Methods: The data of the patients with AGWs, who applied to our dermatology outpatient clinic between January 2015 and December 2021, were analyzed retrospectively. Serological test results for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and HIV infections of patients with AGWs were evaluated. Results: Of 765 patients with AGWs, 541 were male and 224 were female. Among 313 patients who underwent hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) testing, HBsAg positivity was detected in 5 (1.6%) patients. Hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) positivity was detected in 4 (1.2%) of 324 patients who underwent anti-HCV testing. Four (1.3%) of 298 patients who underwent rapid plasma reagin (RPR) for syphilis were positive (RPR titers 1/2, 1/4, 1/16, and 1/128). Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) test was negative in 2 patients. The diagnosis of syphilis was confirmed by TPHA test in 2 patients whose RPR titers were 1/16 and 1/128. Among 344 patients who underwent HIV antibody (anti-HIV) testing, anti-HIV positivity was detected in 16 (4.7%) patients. It was later uncovered that 13 of 16 patients were HIV-infected patients who had been already followed by infectious diseases specialists. Confirmation test for HIV infection was negative in 2 patients and positive in 1 patient. As a result, 14 HIV-positive patients were detected. Conclusion: The patients with AGWs should be evaluated for other sexually transmitted diseases, especially syphilis and HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkderm - Turkish Archives of Dermatology & Venereology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkderm - Turkish Archives of Dermatology & Venereology is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and Design: Skin barrier function in patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) has rarely been evaluated. This study aimed to investigate transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum hydration (SCH), and sebum level (SL) on the skin of the lymphedema arm in comparison to the skin of the healthy contralateral arm in BCRL patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 40 female patients with unilateral BCRL. TEWL, SCH, and SL were measured using Tewameter®, Corneometer®, and Sebumeter®, respectively. Measurements were taken in each patient's lymphedema arms and healthy contralateral arm. The volar/dorsal regions of the forearm and the dorsal region of the upper arm were determined as measurement sites. Results: In all three measurement areas, there was no significant difference in SCH or SL between the skin of the lymphedema arm and the skin of the healthy contralateral arm. TEWL was significantly higher on the skin of the lymphedema arm than on the healthy arm for the volar forearm regions (p=0.007). However, there was no significant difference in TEWL between the skin of the lymphedema arm and the skin of the healthy contralateral arm in the dorsal forearm or dorsal upper arm region. Conclusion: This study showed that there was no difference in skin barrier functions in the lymphedema arm compared with the healthy contralateral arm, except for higher TEWL in the skin of the volar forearm region of the lymphedema arm in BCRL patients. The detection of changes in skin barrier function in BCRL patients may help in the regulation of optimal skin care of these patients' lymphedema arms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Some clinics interpret patch test results 48 hours after application and an additional reading is performed at 72 or 96 hours. Reports in the literature describe delayed positive reaction to some allergens in patients who underwent patch testing for suspected allergic contact dermatitis. However, an additional late reading may be neglected in some clinics. In this study we aimed to identify allergens with delayed positive patch test reactions and to determine the relevance of an additional day 7 (168 hours) patch test reading. Material and Methods: The data of 101 patients who underwent patch testing for suspected allergic contact dermatitis between January 2015 and July 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic data and patch test results of the patients were evaluated. Allergens without a positive reaction at the 48th and 96th hours but with a positive reaction at the 168th hour were considered as delayed positive patch test reaction. Results: Sixty-four (63.3%) of 101 patients had positive reactions to at least 1 allergen. A total of 125 positive reactions were detected. Of the 125 positive reactions, 85 (68%) were positive at 48 hours reading and 31 (24.8%) turned positive at 96 hours evaluation. Nine (7.2%) of 125 positive reactions were late reactions that turned positive at 168 hours. Nickel sulfate, gold sodium thiosulfate, Cl+Me-isothiazolinone, formaldehyde, tixocortol pivalate and hydrocortisone-17-butyrate, and fragrance mix were detected as allergens causing late positive reactions. Conclusion: We think that late reading at the 168th hour should not be neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunosuppressive therapy has been a great concern during the pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the pandemic's impact on psoriasis patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs. The multicenter study was conducted in 14 tertiary dermatology centers. Demographic data, treatment status, disease course, and cases of COVID-19 were evaluated in patients with psoriasis using the immunosuppressive treatment. Of 1827 patients included, the drug adherence rate was 68.2%. Those receiving anti-interleukin (anti-IL) drugs were more likely to continue treatment than patients receiving conventional drugs (OR = 1.50, 95% CI, 1.181–1.895, p =.001). Disease worsening rate was 24.2% and drug dose reduction increased this rate 3.26 and drug withdrawal 8.71 times. Receiving anti-TNF or anti-IL drugs was associated with less disease worsening compared to conventional drugs (p =.038, p =.032; respectively). Drug withdrawal causes were 'unable to come' (39.6%), 'COVID concern' (25.3%), and 'physician's and patient's co-decision' (17.4%). Four patients had COVID-19 infection with mild symptoms. The incidence was 0.0022% while it was 0.0025% in the general population. Our study shows that psoriasis patients using systemic immunosuppressive do not have a higher, but even lower COVID-19 risk than the general population, and treatment compliance with biological drugs is higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperpigmentation may be a clinical feature of a large number of heterogeneous conditions. Age of onset, clinical presentation and associated disorders (hair, nail and systemic symptoms) give us diagnostic information. Dermoscopy, Wood's light examination and reflectance confocal microscopy also help to establish the correct diagnosis. However, histopathologic examination is essential for some conditions. Diagnostic approach to some common pigmentation disorders are presented in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus that resides in a dorsal root ganglion. HZ is rare in immunocompetent children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the demographic features, clinical manifestations and complications of children diagnosed as HZ at our dermatology clinic. Material and Methods: Patients under 18 years who presented with HZ to our dermatology clinic between October 2012 and September 2013 were retrospectively investigated. Age, gender, history of chickenpox, varicella vaccination, predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, associated diseases, use of immunosuppressive drugs, month of onset, complications and treatment were evaluated. Results: Among the 24 patients diagnosed with HZ, 8 were girls (33.3%) and 16 were boys (66.6%). The median age was 13 years (2-17 years). While 16 (66.6%) patients had thoracic dermatome involvement, the rest had cervical (n=3, 12.5%), cervicothoracic (n=2, 8.3%), lumbar (n=3, 12.5%) dermatome involvement. None of the patients had disseminated eruption. Eight patients had local lymphadenopathy. All patients had pruritus and/or pain and eighteen patients had both pruritus and pain. Eleven patients had triggering factors such as emotional stress (originating from school or home), surgery, febrile illness and fasting. None of the patients had immunosuppression. HZ occurred in all seasons but most commonly in February. None of the patients had undergone varicella vaccination. A history of chickenpox was recorded in only 8 (%33.3) patients. Fifteen patients (%62.5) were given systemic antiviral treatment. Postherpetic neuralgia or major complications were not observed. Conclusion: HZ can be seen in healthy children. Similar to adults, the common places of involvement are thoracic dermatomes. Stress, surgery, febrile illness and long-term hunger such as fasting can facilitate the development of HZ in healthy children. Postherpetic neuralgia or major complications do not usually occur in healthy children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Design: Autologous serum skin test (ASST), the best in-vivo test displaying in vitro basophil histamin releasing activity, is used in the diagnosis of chronic autoimmune urticaria. Besides, it is cheap and is easy to perform. It has been found that in ASST-positive chronic urticaria patients, autoimmune thyroid disease especially and other autoimmune diseases were more common and the level of autoimmune markers were higher compared to others. Autoimmunity is accused in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata and vitiligo. In this study, we assessed ASST results in healthy controls and those with autoimmune diseases, and aimed to explore the effects of thyroid autoantibodies and other factors in ASST positivity. Materials and Methods: ASST was administered to 51 patients with alopecia areata, 53 patients with vitiligo and 51 healthy controls, and thyroid function tests and thyroid autoantibodies (anti-Tg, anti-TPO) were assessed. Results: ASST was positive in 64.7% of patients with in alopecia areata, 64.2% of those with vitiligo and in 45.1 % of controls. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of ASST positivity. We observed that ASST positivity had no relationship with age, anti-Tg, anti-TPO and the presence of one or both autoantibody positivity. It was seen that the frequency of ASST positivity was higher in females than in men in all groups, but it was statistically significant in alopecia areata group only. Among the all study groups, the frequency of ASST positivity was statistically significantly higher in females than in men. Conclusion: The high rates of ASST positivity in individuals with alopecia areata and vitiligo as well as in healthy control, indicate that ASST positivity does not solely exist in chronic urticaria patients. With logical regression analysis, it was shown that, having alopecia areata and being female significantly increase the risk of having ASST positivity. Therefore, we assume that ASST positivity might indicate the autoimmune etiology for alopecia areata and susceptibility to autoimmune diseases in female gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Design: Ingrown nail is a common, painful health problem. Various conservative and surgical methods have been defined for treatment of ingrown nails. In this study we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of nail brace treatment which is a cheap conservative treatment, recurrence percentages after nail brace treatment and risk factors for recurrence. Material and Method: Thirty-two female and 19 male patients with the complaint of ingrown nail aged 14-73 with a total of 73 nails are included to the study. Silver nitrate has been applied every 3-7 days to patients with granulation tissue. Nail brace application has been stopped in patients with granulation tissue once the granulation tissue has subsided and complaints have subsided, in patients without granulation tissue as their complaint was over during weekly controls in first month and monthly controls thereafter. Results: Ninety-eight point six percent of patients having ingrown nail (72/73) benefited from brace treatment. In 12 nails out of 71, recurrence has been established, in 59 nails follow-up without recurrence continues. Two nails have not been reached for followup after the first 3 month relief. Assessing patients treated with nail brace for recurrence, no significant difference was detected between recurrent and non-recurrent groups according to stage of ingrown nail, presence of granulation tissue, nail thickness, angle of nail curve, age, gender, presence of hyperhydrosis, duration of treatment and total force applied. Conclusion: Nail brace application has been found effective for pain relief and as treatment in patients with ingrown nails and no statistically significant predictive factor has been found in terms of recurrence after treatment. (Turkderm 2010; 44: 88-91) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]