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Background: Asthma and allergic rhinitis are highly prevalent conditions that cause major illness worldwide. This study aimed to assess the association between allergic rhinitis and asthma control in Peruvian school children., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 256 children with asthma recruited in 5 schools from Lima and Callao cities. The outcome was asthma control assessed by the asthma control test. A score test for trend of odds was used to evaluate the association between allergic rhinitis severity and the prevalence of inadequate asthma control. A generalized linear regression model was used to estimate the adjusted prevalence ratios of inadequate asthma control., Results: Allergic rhinitis was present in 66.4% of the population with asthma. The trend analysis showed a positive association between allergic rhinitis and the probability of inadequate asthma control (P < 0.001). It was associated with an increased prevalence of inadequate asthma control, with adjusted prevalence ratios of 1.53 (95% confidence interval: 1.19-1.98)., Conclusion: This study indicates that allergic rhinitis is associated with an inadequate level of asthma control, giving support to the recommendation of evaluating rhinitis to improve asthma control in children.

We present a case of a 40-year-old woman with a history of human immunodeficiency virus infection and a nodular, hyperkeratotic 3.5-cm vulvar mass that increased in size over a 2-month period. Histopathologic examination of the excised mass was diagnostic of chronic hypertrophic vulvar herpes simulating neoplasia. Hypertrophic vulvar herpes presents a diagnostic challenge for both pathologists and clinicians because of its unusual clinicopathologic features that mimic neoplasia and its rarity. There is therefore the need for the correct diagnosis of this entity, so that appropriate therapy can be given. The pertinent literature is reviewed and discussed.

Strongyloides stercoralis infection is a disease caused by an intestinal parasite. This helminth is highly prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. The preferred treatment is ivermectin, and thiabendazole as a second option available in certain Peruvian institutions. The purpose of the study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of thiabendazole (25 mg/kg/day) administered twice a day (after meals) for three days in individuals with S. stercoralis chronic infection. The study was conducted at Hospital de La Merced, Province of Chanchamayo, Peru (endemic area), during a 90 day period. The study included 32 individuals (22 female and 10 male, average age +/- SD = 9.31 +/- 8.11 years) with a diagnosed S. stercoralis infection. Follow up tests were eosinophil count, hematocrit, agar plate feces culture, and Baermann technique modified by Lumbreras. Healing rate was 90.6%. The average eosinophil count in healed patients significantly decreased (1168 to 665 eosinophils/cc, p=0.006) as compared to the treatment failure group, which showed a slight increase (618 to 897 eosinophils/cc, p=0.125). Hematocrit increased in both groups (2% and 3%, respectively). Adverse effects were headache, dizziness, and epigastralgia in 6.2% of individuals. It was concluded that the studied scheme showed a high effectiveness rate and was well tolerated. Therefore this scheme may be taken into account for control programs of this parasite in hyperendemic areas.