As a dermatologist/internist with a career-long subspecialty interest in the cutaneous manifestations of the rheumatic diseases, I found the case of refractory acute cutaneous lupus by Samantha C. Shapiro, MD, in the June 2022 issue of The Rheumatologist intriguing in several ways, and I felt my perspectives on this case might provide additional educational value…
Should Biologic Therapy in Dermatology Be Interrupted During the Pandemic?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has raised concerns about whether biologic therapy could make psoriasis patients more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. Mark Lebwohl, MD, from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and colleagues address this issue in a letter in the Journal of the…
Dermatology Patients on Corticosteroids May Not Receive Osteoporosis Screenings; Plus FDA Approves ZTLido
A recent study found that dermatology patients taking long-term steroids are not always evaluated for steroid-induced osteoporosis…
Dermatology Consults May Cut Hospital Stays, Readmissions
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Inpatient dermatology consultations were associated with shorter hospital stays and reduced readmissions in a U.S. medical center and may do the same elsewhere, researchers in Ohio suggest. “A few decades ago, patients with severe psoriasis, drug reactions, blistering diseases and even severe eczema would be admitted to the hospital under close dermatology…
What Rheumatologists Wish Their Colleagues Knew: Managing Skin Disease & Comorbidities
From treating rashes to uncovering a case of osteoarthritis, dermatologists and rheumatologists can work together in a variety of ways to improve patient care, says Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMSc…
2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Skin Issues in Rheumatic Diseases Present Challenges
SAN FRANCISCO—A 40-year-old woman shows up in the clinic with scarring alopecia, with an area of hyperpigmentation on the rim of her scalp, extending from just behind the temple to behind her ears. An examination with a dermatoscope shows hyperkeratotic follicular plugging. The case—in this example, the discoid form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (DLE)—is one…
Dermatology & Immunology: Skin Issues Can Present Challenges
SAN FRANCISCO—A 40-year-old woman shows up in the clinic with scarring alopecia, with an area of hyperpigmentation on the rim of her scalp, extending from just behind the temple to behind her ears. An examination with a dermatoscope shows hyperkeratotic follicular plugging. The case—in this example, the discoid form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (DLE)—is one…
Case Study in Dermatology: Tender Papules on Elbows, Hands in RA
The Case A 41-year-old woman was referred to the dermatology clinic for a three-month history of tender lesions on her elbows and around the joints of her hands. Her medical history was notable for seropositive, non-erosive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which was being treated with 5 mg prednisone daily, 10 mg methotrexate weekly by mouth, 200…
Many Psoriasis Patients Have Undiagnosed Arthritis
(Reuters Health)—Up to 15% of people with psoriasis have undiagnosed arthritis that’s related to the skin condition, according to a new review. “The important takeaway,” said Dr. Abby Van Voorhees, director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, “would be that further education is needed…
Dermatology Symptoms Point to Connective Tissue Disorder
The Case A 68-year-old woman with a past medical history of Charcot-Marie-Tooth presents with thickening of the skin on her trunk and extremities, which she has had for the past seven months (see Figures 1 and 2). Her symptoms first began with swelling of her bilateral upper and lower extremities. She is now having difficulty…