Severe atopic dermatitis in early infancy: characteristics, challenges and new perspectives in clinical practice.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common skin disease in infants and children with a prevalence of 10% in the first two years of life. In this age group up to 15% are severely affected. "Children are not little adults" - this applies in particular to infants with severe atopic dermatitis.

[Differential diagnosis of common nail disorders in childhood].

Background: Correct diagnosis of nail changes in childhood may be challenging. Knowing the anatomy of the nail apparatus and some pathophysiologic principles helps to categorize nail disorders correctly.

Objectives: This article gives a structured overview of nail disorders in childhood, thus, facilitating correct diagnosis of nail abnormalities in childhood.

Basic skin care in atopic dermatitis - new and established treatment options.

Basic skin care (basic therapy) is a mainstay in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, irrespective of disease severity and current disease activity. Consistent application of basic skin care plays a key role in restoring skin barrier function and reducing xerosis as well as pruritus. Moreover, it has been shown that concurrent basic therapy has steroid-sparing effects in acute disease flares.

Effects of structured patient education in adults with atopic dermatitis: Multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing skin disease prevalent in 1% to 3% of adults in Western industrialized countries.

Objective: We sought to investigate the effectiveness of educational training in an outpatient setting on coping with the disease, quality of life, symptoms, and severity in adults with AD.

Methods: In this German prospective, randomized controlled multicenter study, adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD were educated by referring to a comprehensive 12-hour training manual consented by a multiprofessional study group from different centers (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Neurodermitisschulung für Erwachsene [ARNE]).

[Atopic dermatitis in children. New aspects].

Atopic dermatitis in childhood is controlled by adaequate topical treatment in the majority of cases. Severe manifestations, recurrent superinfections, associated food allergy and psychosocial aspects of a chronic disease in childhood need special consideration. Furthermore, prevention is an important issue in this age group.

[Selected bacterial infections of the skin in childhood].

Bacterial infections of the skin are often seen by dermatologists. The majority of infections are caused by the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. These induce blistering/erosive (impetigo, ecthymata) and abceeding (folliculitis) infections of the skin, respectively.

Predictors of benefit from an atopic dermatitis education programme.

Background: Multidisciplinary, age-related, structured, group educational programmes for children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and their parents have shown positive long-term outcomes with respect to quality of life and coping behaviour of the participants. We aimed to identify predictors of favourable long-term outcome of an education measure for parents of children with AD aged 3 months to 7 years in the framework of The German Atopic Dermatitis Intervention Study (GADIS).

Methods: In an exploratory approach, the data of 274 child-parent pairs were analysed with respect to the influence of various somatic and psychological variables as possible predictors of treatment success.

Allergic contact dermatitis in psoriasis patients: typical, delayed, and non-interacting.

Psoriasis is characterized by an apoptosis-resistant and metabolic active epidermis, while a hallmark for allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is T cell-induced keratinocyte apoptosis. Here, we induced ACD reactions in psoriasis patients sensitized to nickel (n = 14) to investigate underlying mechanisms of psoriasis and ACD simultaneously. All patients developed a clinically and histologically typical dermatitis upon nickel challenge even in close proximity to pre-existing psoriasis plaques.

Pimecrolimus, a topical calcineurin inhibitor used in the treatment of atopic eczema.

Introduction: Pimecrolimus , a calcineurin inhibitor, is a non-steroidal treatment option in patients aged ≥ 2 years with mild-to-moderate atopic eczema (AE). It was approved as a viable therapeutic option by the FDA in 2001 and in the European Union a year later in 2002. Calcineurin inhibitors inhibit the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines released from T cells and mast cells.