Dermatologists' attitude towards psoriasis treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges in several dimensions in healthcare services. Herein, we describe the real-life strategies and therapeutic options adopted by dermatologists regarding their patients with psoriasis being treated with or with an indication for systemic therapy during the first COVID-19 lockdown period in Portugal.

Methods: The study involves a web-based survey on the clinical management of systemic therapy for psoriasis during the COVID-19 pandemic administered to Portuguese dermatologists.

Portuguese recommendations for the treatment of psoriasis with biologic therapy.

Psoriasis is a highly prevalent chronic, inflammatory multisystem disease with a considerable impact on patients' quality of life and the healthcare system. This report presents the recommendations developed by the Portuguese Psoriasis Group of the Portuguese Society of Dermatology and Venereology that address several clinical questions arising during the management and care of psoriasis with biologic therapy, based on the available evidence. The recommendations were generated following thorough evaluation of existing guidelines on the treatment of psoriasis, publications concerning new biologic treatments that have not yet been considered in existing guidelines, as well as expert-based recommendations.

Cutaneous infection by different Alternaria species in a liver transplant recipient.

Fungal invasive infections are rare in general population but are an emergent cause of infection in the immunocompromized population, especially in the solid organ transplant recipients. Herein the authors report a clinical case of a liver transplanted patient suffering a cutaneous co-existent infection with A. alternata as well as A.

[Skin disease in liver and kidney transplant recipients referred to the department of dermatology and venereology].

Introduction: Several skin disorders, immunosuppression-induced, have been described in transplant recipients. The aim of our study is to characterize the clinical spectrum of skin disorders and to compare the findings in liver and kidney transplant recipients.

Material And Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted.

[Guidelines for high-quality use of biologic therapies in adults with plaque psoriasis].

Psoriasis is an inflammatory dermatosis, affecting approximately 2% of the population, with predominantly skin and joint involvement but also associated with considerable comorbidities. Approximately 20% to 30% of patients have moderate to severe disease uncontrollable with topical therapy. Traditional systemic therapy – oral PUVA, retinoids, cyclosporin and methotrexate – may induce organ specific toxicity and a significant number of patients are unresponsive, intolerant or have specific contraindications to its use.

Phototherapy for pityriasis lichenoides: our experience.

Pityriasis lichenoides is a benign disease that includes a continuous spectrum with two polar ends: pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA) and pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC). Although its benign and self-limited character, treatment is required, both for itch relief and for cosmetic issues. The present study is a retrospective analysis of 13 patients (11 PLC and 2 PLEVA) treated in our institution with psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) or ultraviolet A combined with ultraviolet B (UVA/UVB) during the period 1998-2011.

Psoriasis phototherapy experience from a Lisbon unit: a still valid therapeutic approach in the 21st century.

Introduction: During the last half of the 20th century, the use of UVB therapy and photochemotherapy (PUVA), were one of the mainstays of treatment for psoriasis. However, accompanying to the advent of the most recent era of psoriasis, with targeted biologic therapy has been a decline in the frequency of phototherapy. This does not diminish its known clinical effects.

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Alternaria infectoria presenting as multiple vegetating lesions in a renal transplant patient.

The genus Alternaria is one of the most common black moulds and appears to be increasing as a causative agent of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis, particularly among immunosuppressed patients. A 53-year-old patient who had received a kidney transplant presented with multiple verrucous lesions on the distal extremities. Positive histopathology and cultures, in addition to rDNA ITS region sequencing, identified the fungal isolate as Alternaria infectoria.

Intertriginous pattern of toxic erythema of chemotherapy.

Chemotherapeutic agents may induce both local and systemic cutaneous toxicity, and evaluation of these reactions in oncologic patients constitutes a real challenge. The authors describe a 78-year-old Caucasian woman, with a past medical history relevant for right radical mastectomy with axillary dissection because of stage 2 breast invasive ductal carcinoma (T2N3M0), referred to our department because of an intertriginous eruption in her groin. Two weeks before the eruption, a chemotherapy regime with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil was performed.