27 research outputs found
Skin Cancers Among Albinos at a University Teaching Hospital in Northwestern Tanzania: A Retrospective Review of 64 Cases.
No full textSkin cancers are a major risk associated with albinism and are thought to be a major cause of death in African albinos. The challenges associated with the care of these patients are numerous and need to be addressed. The aim of this study was to outline the pattern and treatment outcome of skin cancers among albinos treated at our centre and to highlight challenges associated with the care of these patients and proffer solutions for improved outcome. This was a retrospective study of all albinos with a histopathological diagnosis of skin cancer seen at Bugando Medical Centre from March 2001 to February 2010. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 64 patients were studied. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. The median age of patients was 30 years. The median duration of illness at presentation was 24 months. The commonest reason for late presentation was financial problem. Head and the neck was the most frequent site afflicted in 46(71.8%) patients. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histopathological type in 75% of cases. Surgical operation was the commonest modality of treatment in 60 (93.8%) patients. Radiotherapy was given in 24(37.5%) patients. Twenty-seven (42.2%) of the patients did not complete their treatment due to lack of funds. Local recurrence following surgical treatment was recorded in 6 (30.0%) patients. Only thirty-seven (61.7%) patients were available for follow-up at 6-12 months and the remaining patients were lost to follow-up. Skin cancers are the most common cancers among albinos in our environment. Albinism and exposure to ultraviolet light appears to be the most important risk factor in the development of these cancers. Late presentation and failure to complete treatment due to financial difficulties and lack of radiotherapy services at our centre are major challenges in the care of these patients. Early institution of preventive measures, early presentation and treatment, and follow-up should be encouraged in this population for better outcome
Sexually Transmitted Diseases in India: Historical Aspects and Emerging Trends (Except HIV Infection)
No full text
Looking Back - History of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology in India
No full textDermatology, the science of the skin, was one of the many specialties,
which evolved from general internal medicine during the course of the
nineteenth century. Till this time, physicians with few exceptions were
little concerned with the skin, apart from the exanthematic eruptions
of acute fevers. During the last decades of that century, contributions
of some, such as Heberden, Cullen and Hebra, laid the foundations on
which the pioneer specialist dermatologists of the following century
were able to build
A clinical study of dermatoses in diabetes to establish its markers
No full textBackground: Cutaneous manifestations of diabetes mellitus generally appear subsequent to the development of the disease, but they may be the first presenting signs and in some cases they may precede the primary disease manifestation by many years. Aims : T0 he aim of our study was to study the spectrum of dermatoses in diabetics, to know the frequency of dermatoses specific to diabetes mellitus (DM), and to establish the mucocutaneous markers of DM. Material and Methods: The study was conducted at a diabetic clinic and our department between September 2008 and June 2010. Two hundred and twenty-four diabetic patients were included in the study group and those with gestational diabetes were excluded. Healthy age- and sex-matched individuals were taken as controls. Results: The male to female ratio was 1 : 1.21. Type 2 DM was seen in 89.7% and type 1 DM in 10.3% of the patients. Dermatoses were seen in 88.3% of the diabetics compared to 36% in non-diabetic controls (P<0.05). Cutaneous infections were the most common dermatoses followed by acanthosis nigricans and xerosis in diabetics. Type 2 DM was found to have an increased risk of complications than type 1 DM. Complications of diabetes were seen in 43.7% of the diabetic cases. Diabetic dermopathy, loss of hair over the legs, diabetic foot ulcer, and so on, were found to be the cutaneous markers of DM in our group of cases. Conclusion: Dermatoses were more common in diabetics than non-diabetics. Cutaneous infections formed the largest group of dermatoses in DM
Spot the Diagnosis
No full textA 24-year-old male presented with hoarseness of voice and asymptomatic
papular eruption on the face since infancy. He was the second child in
the family, born to consanguineous marriage. His younger sister had
similar disease. He had no history of photosensitivity or blistering,
seizures. He had multiple yellowish waxy papules on the borders of his
eyelids giving it a beaded appearance (Figure 1). Similar lesions were
also seen on forehead, arms and upper trunk. The skin over the face and
neck was shiny and infiltrated with areas of pock like scarring. He
also had vegetating plaques in the intertriginous areas. The lips were
thickened, infiltrated and everted. The buccal mucosa had a distinct
cobblestone appearance. His tongue was firm and enlarged. Systemic
examination did not reveal any abnormalities
