Lichen sclerosus (LS) and morphea are two infrequent inflammatory dermatoses of unknown etiology. LS is characterized by, polygonal, bluish-white, slightly elevated papules that coalesce into plaques, which become increasingly atrophic overtime.it mostly affects genitals, however, it can affect any site on the skin and mucosa. Morphea characterized by, erythematous to violaceous patches or plaque with a white, sclerotic center, and the outer edge of the lesions take on the characteristic violaceous ring. The overlapping clinical and histopathologic features of both LS and morphea in the same patient have led some to speculate that they may have a common pathologic link or that both conditions represent the same disease spectrum. The coexistence of LS and morphea in the same lesion is a rare finding. We present a patient, who was diagnosed with what appeared clinically to be extragenital LS, but with histopathologic features of both LS and morphea.
Background Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects around 2% of the population. The lives of psoriasis patients are greatly impacted by stigma and social exclusion, regardless of the severity of the condition. This is the first study of its kind to be conducted in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess peoples' psoriasis-related misconceptions, negative prejudice, and discriminatory behaviors. Methodology A self-administered Google Forms survey was distributed between January and February 2023. The survey was conducted among residents of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia who were enrolled randomly via social media. We aimed to investigate their perception and awareness related to psoriasis, as well as how varying educational levels, age groups, and genders affected these variables. Results In total, 803 individuals participated in the survey. Results showed that 19.9% of the participants did not know about psoriasis. Only 5.1% of respondents stated that they were well knowledgeable about psoriasis. Moreover, psoriasis was more frequently perceived as a communicable disease by people in the age group of 18-29 years (p = 0.000). Surprisingly, only 43.5% of the participants reported that they would shake hands with someone with psoriasis without hesitation. Additionally, 40.7% of the participants were aware that psoriasis requires lifelong treatment. Moreover, the belief that psoriasis does not require lifelong therapy was more prevalent among university graduates (p = 0.000). Conclusions This study found that the residents of Jeddah need further education on skin disorders, in general, and psoriasis, in particular. Future studies should be conducted utilizing various approaches, with a greater emphasis on certain groups of people who engage physically with psoriasis patients.
<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Worldwide, skin cancer is a major public health concern. It is a common malignancy in Saudi Arabia. The three most prevalent types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most common modifiable risk factor to lower the risk of the leading types of skin cancer. Practicing protective measures can aid in decreasing the risk of developing skin malignancies.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> Data collection took place at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted via a structured self-administered questionnaire among medical personnel.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> The majority (81.9%) of the sample participants were Saudi citizens. Moreover, medical students of 4th year, 5th year and 6th year represented half of the sample. Mean±SD values for the knowledge, behavior, and awareness scores were 6.85±3.31, 8.57±5.00, and 17.75±7.05 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in mean awareness score for the various categories of demographic variables. One-way-ANOVA revealed statistically significant difference among the different job titles in terms of awareness score with a p value <0.001.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The results of this study have shown that the knowledge regarding skin cancer and behavior towards sun exposure is inadequate. Therefore, increasing the knowledge in the form of awareness campaigns is highly recommended.</p><p class="abstract"> </p>
Introduction Many patients present to the emergency department with skin conditions that are not true dermatologic emergencies. Urgent skin conditions are uncommon. Because these conditions are rare, they can be sometimes challenging to diagnose. Few works of literature discussed the accuracy of non-dermatologists' initial judgment on dermatologic conditions concluding that non-dermatologists misdiagnose many common and uncommon skin conditions. Because the study was never done in our region, we aim to conduct an online assessment using a questionnaire assessing the ability of non-dermatologists to recognize urgent skin diseases at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. Non-dermatologist physicians were contacted through their verified emails, provided by the secretaries of each department and the academic affairs unit. The questionnaire consisted of two main sections, the first section covered demographics, specialty, and academic level. The second part had eight questions, each containing a brief case scenario about an urgent dermatological condition with a picture of the condition attached. Participants were required to answer the questions and assess on a scale from one to 10 how confident they were about their answers. The responses were collected and analyzed. Results Out of all 161 responses, this study included 93 male physicians (57.8%) and 68 female physicians (42.2%). The mean age in the study was approximately 45 ± 3 years. This study showed that the percentage of accuracy by non-dermatologists in diagnosing urgent skin diseases given the typical presentation of the condition was (61.33%); nevertheless, the percentage decreased when it was recalculated in relation to the full level of confidence to (25.3%). Herpes zoster appeared to be the most recognizable urgent skin disease, and Pemphigus vulgaris was the least recognizable one. Conclusion This study shows that it is difficult for physicians to recognize some urgent skin diseases, which affects offering the optimum health care for the patients. Moreover, more dermatology-focused courses are needed to strengthen the knowledge about dermatological diseases.
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been used to manage many inflammatory skin conditions. Nevertheless, retinopathy continues to be its most significant adverse effect. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends baseline ophthalmologic screening in the first year of HCQ treatment. However, a recent study found an inadequate awareness of the recommendations. Furthermore, limited data are available regarding the implementation of the recommendations among dermatologists.The aim of this study was to assess dermatologists' adherence to recommendations pertaining to their current practice regarding HCQ toxicity detection.A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed between February 2 and May 4, 2018, among members of the Saudi Society of Dermatology. The questionnaire comprised demographic-related questions and questions pertaining to each physician's routine practice about the follow-up of HCQ-treated patients.A total of 76 dermatologists completed the questionnaire. We achieved a response rate of 62.54%. More than half (43/76, 56%) of the dermatologists were male. Furthermore, more than half (41/76, 53%) of them reported treating 1 to 3 patients with HCQ during the last year. Furthermore, two-thirds (47/76, 61%) of them reported screening patients before initiating HCQ treatment. Regarding follow-up recommendations, 59% (45/76) of dermatologists reported yearly after starting treatment for no-risk patients, whereas 94% (72/76) reported "yearly within 5 years of treatment" for at-risk patients. Data were considered significant at P<.05. All analyses were performed using SPSS, version 20 (IBM).Dermatologists in Saudi Arabia are not well informed about some aspects of the latest recommendations regarding screening for HCQ toxicity in terms of tests, follow-up timing, cessation of the drug, and causative agents. Therefore, we recommend conducting more studies in Saudi Arabia to determine the adherence of more physicians to the AAO recommendations. Furthermore, patient education regarding HCQ toxicity and increased patient awareness are recommended for effective and safe HCQ use.
Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social media on acne treatment among the Saudi Arabian population. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey-based study conducted from January 2021 to August 2021. A self-administered survey was distributed through social media to different regions of Saudi Arabia. The survey obtained participants' sociodemographic information and details on whether people used social media for advice on acne treatment. It also asked whether they noticed any change in their acne based on social media recommendations. Results Of the 5,539 respondents, 4,227 experienced acne, of which 1,793 were influenced by social media. Most respondents were women. The majority of social media users were between 18 and 25 years old and chose social media as their first approach for acne advice. The most commonly used platform was Instagram (34%). The most frequent social media recommendation chosen was to increase water intake. Many noticed a slight change in their acne (64%), and 14.9% had side effects. There was a significant association between the use of social media for advice and gender (p-value < 0.001), education level (p-value = 0.002), and severity of acne (p-value < 0.001). Conclusion Social media has an influence on acne treatment, with many advice not recommended by established guidelines. These findings imply that dermatologists should pinpoint inaccuracies resulting from advice found on social media.
IntroductionStriae Distensae (SD), a well-recognized phenomenon resulting from dermal scaring, it is usually associated with physiological conditions such as pregnancy, growth spurt, rapid weight loss or gain or iatrogenic causes such as topical or systemic corticosteroid administration1. It is aesthetically troublesome and therapeutically challenging. SD early stages appear as flesh-toned atrophic linear plaques that eventually progress to silvery-whitish atrophic plaques.1,2 Most commonly affect dispensable body areas such as the buttock, lower back, thighs, calves, breast and abdomen.3 Rare secondary changes within SD have been mentioned in the literature, including edema, urticaria, dyspigmentation, ulceration, dehiscence and subcutaneous emphysema. Fluid filling these striae are an unusual finding. Very few cases have been reported discussing this phenomenon.4,5 Upon literature review, it was notable that even in the very few case reports of BSD, almost all the patients were on long-term oral steroids as well as having hypoalbuminemia, except for one patient as demonstrated inTable 1 .4 Herein, we report a case of a 17-year-old girl with nephrotic syndrome who was treated with high dose of corticosteroids presented to the day-care unit with Bullous Striae Distensae.
Vulvitis granulomatosa (VG) is 1 of the 3 clinical entities of anogenital granulomatosis, characterized by lymphedema and noncaseating granulomas. It is considered a rare idiopathic condition, typically presenting with chronic, painless swelling of the genitals.1 There are very few cases reported worldwide and none in the Middle East, to our knowledge. Its etiology is unclear, although a relationship with sarcoidosis and granulomatous infections such as tuberculosis have been suggested. Association with Crohn's disease is being increasingly recognized based on histologic similarities between these conditions.
Background Acne vulgaris is one of the most common diseases worldwide. It is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease. Nearly anyone can be affected at any age. Adolescents and young adults are more susceptible, with a prevalence as high as 35% to 90% and reaching up to 100% in both sexes. Isotretinoin is the most effective medication to be used. It has been reported in the literature that many populations are non-adherents to or aware of safety recommendations. This study aims to assess females’ awareness and safety of isotretinoin use in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used, data was collected from an electronic validated survey and published on a social platform. Statistical analysis was conducted with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results The total number of included responses was 1066. Most of the participants were 12-22 years old (45.2%), single (72.2%) and had a bachelor’s degree (69.6%). Among the total number of participants there were 285 participants who used isotretinoin. Ninety-three percent of them had a prescription of isotretinoin from a physician. The common dose given was approximately 20 mg and the common duration was more than six months. Conclusion There is a good amount of knowledge in our population regarding isotretinoin side effects, although only half of them were informed about them by their treating physicians. We noticed an obvious lack of awareness about safe practice during childbearing age and marriage. This highlights the need for optimal education by health care providers and the role of media is obvious to improve their practices and hopefully decrease the risks as it was the second most common source of information after dermatologists in our population. Also we recommend paying more attention to the psychological side effect which was reported by 9% of our participants.
Human papilloma virus (HPV) causes cutaneous warts, a common and benign skin condition.Despite the extensive research on HPV, few studies have explicitly examined cutaneous warts, especially in Saudi Arabia.This study aimed to evaluate the incidence, demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with cutaneous warts in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Data was collected from medical records of patients who attended dermatology clinics at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), from 2011 to 2022.It included sociodemographic variables, including age, nationality, and sex, comorbidities, and diagnosis date.Additionally, wart location and treatment methods were collected.160 patients were diagnosed with various types of warts.Most of which were between 15-29 years of age.The majorities of participants were female, and most were Saudi nationals.In those participants, diabetes was the most common comorbidity and the highest percentage of cases diagnosed with warts was in 2018.The palmer region was the most common location for warts.Warts in the genital area were significantly associated with those between 33 and 44 years of age.The remaining age groups had a significant higher percent of palmar warts.
