Solar urticaria treated with intravenous immunoglobulins.

Background: Solar urticaria (SU) is a rare idiopathic photodermatosis induced immediately after sun exposure. This disorder may considerably restrict normal daily life and management is extremely difficult when treatment with oral H1 antihistamines and sun avoidance are ineffective.

Objective: We sought to report the effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) in severe SU.

[Solar urticaria: one case treated by intravenous immunoglobulin].

Background: Solar urticaria is a rare photodermatosis which often begins from the third to the fifth decade. Usual treatment consists of photoprotection measures and antihistamines although disease control is sometimes unsatisfactory with both. We report herein a very severe case of solar urticaria we treated with intravenous immunoglobulins.

Treatment of nine cases of pemphigus vulgaris with cyclosporine.

The effects of cyclosporine were studied in nine patients suffering from pemphigus vulgaris. Of four patients treated with cyclosporine alone, only one cleared. Of four corticosteroid-resistant pemphigus vulgaris patients, all improved after cyclosporine addition to corticosteroids.

[Skin manifestations of refractory anemia with excess of blasts (RAEB)].

The authors describe three cases of refractory anaemia with an excess of myeloblasts in the bone marrow (RAEM), associated with pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) and vasculitis. The first patient was an 85-year old man whose RAEM had begun in 1979. In 1985, he developed pyoderma gangrenosum in the popliteal fossa and on the right heel.

Acute generalized exanthematous pustular dermatitis and viral infection.

Three patients with acute generalized exanthematous pustular dermatitis (AGEPD) are presented. This new clinical entity comprises generalized erythema, erythema multiforme, amicrobial pustules, fever and spontaneous healing over a 10-day period. Histologically, there are a mixed neutrophilic and eosinophilic vasculitis and an eosinophilic subcorneal and spongiform pustule.

Langerhans' cell and vitiligo: quantitative study of T6 and HLA-DR antigen-expressing cells.

Epidermal Langerhans' cell (LC) densities in vitiliginous skin (VS) and normal-appearing skin (NAS) were studied in 10 patients with common vitiligo. Monoclonal mouse anti human T6 antigen IgG1 and Ia antigen IgG2 (Ortho Pharmaceuticals) were used to characterize LC. Epidermal LC densities were calculated by means of an ocular square grid and expressed per 0.

Treatment of cutaneous lymphoma with etretinate.

Twelve patients with various types of lymphoma were treated with etretinate. The diagnosis included parapsoriasis en plaque, epidermotropic lymphoma (diffuse chronic erythroderma with atypical mononuclear cells, Sézary syndrome or MF tumours) and non-epidermotropic lymphoma. The patients received etretinate in a dose of 0.