Iranian Journal Of Dermatology
Volume:3 Issue: 1, 1999

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease endemic in some areas of Gilan province.

To evaluate the knowledge of the personnel employed in Health System Network (Including Behvarzes, Kardans and physicians) on leprosy.

Questionnaires consisting of 14 multiple choice questions for Behvarzes and 20 multiple choice questions for Kardans and physicians wee given to 268, Behvarzes 32 Kardans and 27 physicians employed in 4 areas of Gilan province (Roodsar, Rasht, Fooman and Roodbar). The questions included various aspects of leprosy.

72.4% of Behvarzes scored excellent or good for the questions regarding the clinical features and epidemiology of leprosy. But the percentage of correct responses for Kardans and physicians were not satisfactory.

The knowledge of Behvarzes about leprosy is enough for the integration of the program of elimination of leprosy in the Health System Network, at least in Gilan province. But further training for Kardans and physicians seems mandatory.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is one of the most common parasitic diseases in Isfahan, the scar of it could be found in the majority of residents of some areas of city. This disease can affect all age groups but it is more common in children in endemic and hyperendemic areas.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical features of cutaneous leishmaniasis in children less than 12 years old in Isfahan. Patients and

We studied 656 cases younger than 12 years among 2000 patients referred to “Center of Leishmaniasis” in Isfahan, from October 96 to October 97. The diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis was confirmed by direct smear in all cases.

Among 2000 patients, 656 cases (32.8%) were less than 12 years old, 53.4% of them were male and 46.6% were female. Most of the lesions were papules (28.4%), and the most common site of involvement was face (38.6%). The number of lesions ranged from 1 to 20, but most of the patients had only one lesion (46.3%).

Pemphigus is an autoimmune disease characterized with intra-epidermal cleavage.

The aim of this study was to examine the clinical and epidemiologic features of pemphigus in Khouzestan province, southwest Iran. Patients and

All new cases of pemphigus admitted in the department of dermatology, Sina Hospital, Ahwaz University from October 1990 to September 1999 were studied. The diagnosis of pemphigus was based on clinical and histological findings.

One hundred-eleven pemphigus patients represented 4.7% of 2358 patients admitted to this department in this period. The most common presentation was pemphigus vulgaris (81.98%), followed by pemphigus foliaceous (18.02%). Pemphigus was observed more common in women (62 of 111; 55.86%) than in men (49 of 111; 44.14%). The mean age of all variants of pemphigus and in both sex at the time of diagnosis was 42.5 years. The lag time between the onset of illness and final diagnosis in pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceous were 4 and 9 months, respectively. In pemphigus vulgaris patients, the onset of lesions were 54.65% and 45.34% from mucous membranes (Mainly oral cavity) and skin in 54.65% and 45.35% of cases, respectively. In all of pemphigus foliaceous patients, the onset of lesions was from the skin. The mortality was 6.30%, more in pemphigus foliaceous than vulgaris.

This study showed that pemphigus is relatively common in Khouzestan province, compared with other regions. Pemphigus vulgaris is the most common variant and mortality was higher in pemphigus foliaceous.

Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) plays an important role in resistance against leishmaniasis. Leishmanin test (Montenegro skin test) is a method in evaluation of immune system reaction against cutaneous leishmaniasis. The TDR/WHO reference Leishmanin produced by the Pasteur Institute of Iran is used worldwide. Two other antigens produced by Razi Serum Institute of Iran, Killed Leishmania Major (K.L.M) and Autoclaved Leishmania Major (A.L.M), take advantage of vaccine strains of L.major, and under supervision of WHO, have been investigated as leishmaniasis vaccine.

KLM, ALM and standard Leishmanin as skin test wee compared in this study. Patients and

Fifty patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis were randomly selected. They attended the educational clinics of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. All 3 antigens were injected intradermally in them and the size of erythema and induration were read and recorded after 48 hours. Data were grouped and analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA).

There was significant difference between mean of erythema and induration sizes of antigens in two by two comparison. The mean of erythema and induration sizes due to K.L.M were greater than A.L.M, and mean of erythema and induration sizes due to A.L.M were greater than Pasteur Institute reference leishmanin (P<0.0001).

Although the mean of erythema and induration sizes due to K.L.M were greater than others, use of A.L.M seems to be more practical compared to. K.L.M, because of simple storage method of A.L.M, and more sensitive than Pasteur Institute reference leishmanin.

EMLA cream is a eutectic mixture of Lidocaine and Prilocaine used to induce local anesthesia for dermatological procedures.

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of EMLA cream in reducing the pain of intralesional injection of steroid in patients with alopecia areata. Patients and

This study was carried out on 27 alopecia areata patients. The injections of corticosteroid were done in one of lesions after using EMLA cream (For 30, 45 or 60 minutes) and in other lesions without it in each patient.

82% of patients experienced less pain in injections done after using EMLA cream.

EMLA cream can reduce the pain of intralesional injections of corticosteroid in patches of alopecia areata.

Several advances in the filed of organ transplantation in last decades have resulted in significant increase in the number and methods of transplantation. In this article various aspects of organ transplantation including immunosuppressive medications, common skin tumors seen in transplant recipients, possible mechanisms involved in increased incidence of skin tumors and finally preventive measures will be discussed.

A 37-year-old woman with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome who developed malignant melanoma on the limb affected the vascular malformation, is reported. The observation and nature of this association or coincidence is discussed.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease endemic in Iran that mainly involves skin and peripheral nerves. Leprosy has several clinical forms. One of them is “Pure neural leprosy”. The diagnosis of this form is delayed due to lack of clinical signs in other tissues and can lead to permanent deformity. I will discuss my experience for 20 years in the diagnosis and treatment of this form of leprosy and will report a case. Definite diagnosis is usually possible by biopsy of an involved peripheral nerve. Biopsy from uninvolved nerve might give inconclusive results (Sometimes biopsy is taken only from sural nerve) but typical changes of neural leprosy can be found in involved nerves in the same patient. Nerve biopsy can also help in the classification of leprosy and differentiation of leprotic neuritis from neuritis in leprosy reactions. The main complication of nerve biopsy is a local anesthesia of the skin, which usually improves spontaneously. Considering the absence of neurosurgeons in most endemic areas of leprosy, it is recommended to train physicians involved in leprosy treatment to do nerve biopsy.

A 24-year old female patient with the history of pressure ulcers in distal extremities resulted in severe deformity will be reported. Her disease started when she was 9 years old and a similar history was found in her brother. In physical examination, pain and temperature sensations were impaired in distal extremities. Nerve conduction velocity showed impaired sensory and normal motor responses confirming the diagnosis of hereditary sensory-autonomic neuropathy.