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A N Crowson

Publications and source records attributed to A N Crowson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

The interstitial granulomatous drug reaction: a distinctive clinical and pathological entity.

We present 20 patients in whom drug therapy was associated with interstitial histiocytic infiltrates with variable degeneration of collagen and elastic fibers mimicking early lesions of granuloma annulare (GA). Most patients had a reproducible clinical presentation comprising erythematous-to-violaceous, nonpruritic plaques, often with an annular pattern, predominantly involving inner aspects of the arms, medial thighs and intertriginous areas. The most frequent clinical differential diagnoses included cutaneous T cell lymphoma, erythema annulare centrifigum (EAC), GA, and lupus erythematosus. A drug reaction was suspected in only 3 cases. The implicated drug classes included calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, lipid-lowering agents, antihistamines, anticonvulsants and antidepressants. Patients were often on two or more of these drugs; all have been associated with pseudolymphomatous infiltrates of the skin, the presumptive basis of which is iatrogenic pertubation of immune function. The defining histomorphology was diffuse infiltration of the interstitium by lymphocytes and histiocytes with piecemeal fragmentation of collagen and elastic fibers in concert with a vacuolar interface dermatitis. Ten cases showed intermediate and transformed lymphocytes with hyperchromatic convoluted nuclei disposed interstitially within the dermis or along the dermoepiderma junction with variable epidermotropism. In the 15 patients who discontinued the implicated drug, lesional resolution occurred. We propose the designations interstitial granulomatous drug reaction for this novel cutaneous reaction pattern.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Sterile neutrophilic folliculitis with perifollicular vasculopathy: a distinctive cutaneous reaction pattern reflecting systemic disease.

The authors prospectively encountered skin biopsies from 20 patients which demonstrated a neutrophilic or suppurative and granulomatous folliculitis accompanied by a folliculocentric neutrophilic vascular reaction of Sweet's-like or leukocytoclastic vasculitis subtypes. While in each case the histomorphology raised diagnostic consideration of bacterial folliculitis, patients frequently expressed systemic complaints such as arthritis, fever, and malaise, and special stains for micro-organisms were negative. Among the clinical presentations were folliculitis, vasculitis, acneiform eruptions, vesiculopustular lesions, and erythema nodosum-like lesions, with the legs, arms, and upper back being the most commonly involved sites. Nineteen patients were found to have specific underlying systemic diseases, namely, inflammatory bowel disease, Reiter's disease, Behçet's disease, hepatitis B, connective tissue disease including mixed connective tissue disease and rheumatoid arthritis, scrofuloderma, and hematologic dyscrasias. The other patient had antecedent bacterial sinusitis in the setting of atopy. The folliculocentric nature of these lesions may reflect preferential processing of antigens through the hair follicle and/or homology between bacterial and follicular heat shock proteins in the susceptible host, namely, one who responds excessively to exogenous antigenic triggers. Folliculitis with folliculocentric vasculopathy may be a clue to underlying systemic disease and/or an extracutaneous infection. Certain light microscopic features in concert with the clinical presentation may distinguish such cases from conventional infectious folliculitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A distinctive cutaneous reaction pattern indicative of infection by reactive arthropathy-associated microbial pathogens: the superantigen ID reaction.

The two major cutaneous expressions of infective states are infections of the skin by viable organisms and immunological responses to nonviable microbial antigens or, in the case of molecular mimickry, their human analogues. These immunological responses are designated as cutaneous id reactions, and manifest a histomorphology similar to that seen at the primary infective site. This study presents the clinical and histological findings in 16 patients who developed skin eruptions associated with extracutaneous or systemic infections. There was a striking female predominance; patients ranged in age from 10 to 78 years. The majority of cases manifested skin lesions which clinically resembled Sweet's syndrome, erythema multiforme and/or erythema nodosum. Fever, arthralgia, oligoarthritis, mucosal ulcers of the mouth and/ or genital tract and uveitis were additional features in some cases. Isolated clinical presentations included a petechial rash in a stocking and glove distribution, papular dermatitis, a morbilliform eruption and annular erythema. Among the medical and family histories were atopy and stigmata associated with connective tissue disease (CTD). Two patients were ingesting drugs with known immune dysregulating properties. Skin biopsies showed focal lymphocytic interface dermatitis, a diffuse interstitial histiocytic infiltrate, and a mononuclear cell predominant vascular reaction which in some cases represented vasculitis by virtue of manifesting concomitant luminal or mural fibrin deposition. Eosinophils, eczematous alterations, and papillary dermal edema were identified in a minority of cases. All patients had evidence of a prior or concurrent infection, based on either positive IgM serology for specific microbes or cultures. Among the implicated pathogens were cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19, streptococcus, mycoplasma, klebsiella, and Borrelia burgdorferi. All of these organisms are among those associated with reactive arthritis, a phenomenon that was seen in some cases. The histology suggested florid cell mediated immunity (CMI), which the authors attributed to the superantigen properties held by the aforesaid pathogens. Skin lesions and constitutional symptoms resolved quickly with antimicrobial therapy in 7 of 9 cases causally linked to bacteria. Spontaneous resolution occurred in 5 of 6 virally mediated eruptions. The other 4 patients were given topical steroids or prednisone; these included 1 patient with Borrelia burgdorferi infection and 1 patient with radiographic evidence of pneumonia who was never cultured, 1 patient with parvovirus B19 infection, and 1 patient with pneumococcal pneumonia and concomitant sarcoidosis. It is the authors' belief that the eruptions seen in these patients may in part reflect a genetic or iatrogenic predisposition to respond excessively to certain infectious triggers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Idiopathic perniosis and its mimics: a clinical and histological study of 38 cases.

Perniosis is a term applied to cold-induced painful or pruritic erythematous or violaceous acral papular or nodular lesions. We examined 39 skin biopsies from 38 patients who presented with acral purpuric lesions, suggesting a diagnosis of perniosis clinically or pathologically. The presence of a systemic or extracutaneous disease was established in 17 patients, including 5 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 3 with antiphospholipid antibodies, in 1 in whom there was underlying HIV disease, 2 with viral hepatitis, 2 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 2 with cryofibrinogenemia, 1 with hypergammaglobulinemia, 1 with iritis, and 1 with Crohn's disease. In the other 21 patients, the clinical presentations prompted further studies in 12, which showed a positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) in 10. A diagnosis of idiopathic perniosis (IP) was rendered in all 21 of these patients including those in whom a positive ANA was discovered, based on the absence of any other serological markers, signs, or symptoms indicative of a specific systemic disease complex; many had Raynaud's phenomenon, small joint arthralgias, atopy, or a family history of either connective tissue disease or Raynaud's disease. The histopathology of IP comprised a superficial and deep angiocentric lymphocytic infiltrate with papillary dermal edema and lymphocytic exocytosis directed to retia and acrosyringia. A few cases showed a mild vacuolopathic or lichenoid interface dermatitis, adventitial dermal mucinosis, lymphocytic eccrine hidradenitis, vascular ectasia, and thrombosis confined to dermal papillae capillaries. The biopsies from patients with iritis, RA, and Crohn's disease showed a granulomatous vasculitis and a granuloma annulare-like tissue reaction. The biopsies from the patients with SLE, cryofibrinogenemia, primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, and hypergammaglobulinemia shared a similar histopathology comprising an interface dermatitis, superficial and deep angiocentric and eccrinotropic lymphocytic infiltrates, vascular ectasia, and dermal mucinosis with prominent involvement of the eccrine coil. Many cases did not show features of IP, namely papillary dermal edema, thrombosis of dermal papillary capillaries, and lymphocytic exocytosis into the retia and acrosyringia. There was frequent vascular fibrin deposition involving reticular dermal vessels. The latter two variables were statistically significant discriminators between IP and in perniotic lesions observed in the setting of underlying systemic disease. With respect to the latter, some cases occurred in the setting of cold exposure and were designated by us as "secondary perniosis" (SP), whereas others showed no specific association with cold exposure and were designated as perniotic mimics (PMs) based exclusively on the gross and microscopic morphology of the lesions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus arising in the setting of calcium channel blocker therapy.

After 6 months to 5 years of calcium channel blocker (CCB) therapy for arterial hypertension, nine patients developed photoinduced annular or papulosquamous eruptions consonant clinically with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE). Four patients were receiving diltiazem, four received verapamil, and one was taking nifedipine. Serology showed antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in seven of nine patients, anti-Ro antibodies in five, and anti-La antibodies in five, with three patients having only anti-La antibodies. Skin biopsy specimens in all nine patients were held to be characteristic of SCLE based on light microscopy, direct, and indirect immunofluorescence. The CCB was discontinued in all; in 8 patients in whom the CCB was stopped, the eruption resolved. A proposed mechanism by which the CCBs may have precipitated the eruptions is offered.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

A novel nonepidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma: a clinical and histopathologic study of six cases.

BACKGROUND: Some hereditary palmoplantar keratodermas (PPK) have been defined at the molecular level. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to establish the cause of a hereditary PPK with unique histopathologic findings in the epidermis. METHODS: Investigative studies included light and electron microscopy and determination of genomic DNA sequence. RESULTS: Six patients with PPK were found to have unique changes in the epidermis characterized by orthokeratosis, parakeratosis, perinuclear vacuolization, and keratohyalin granules that varied in size and shape and were located in the cell periphery. Electron microscopy showed the perinuclear region contained many ribosomes and vacuoles and was surrounded by a tonofibril shell. Family involvement suggested a dominant disorder. However, no mutation of keratin genes 1, 6a, 9, or 16 was found. CONCLUSION: The histopathologic features of this unique PPK most closely resemble Curth-Macklin ichthyosis for which the genetic basis has not been established. Further genetic studies are needed.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1997

A distinctive vesiculopustular eruption associated with hepatobiliary disease.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous manifestations of hepatobiliary disease may be a clue to the clinical diagnosis. We encountered a form of vesiculopustular eruption in five patients with hepatobiliary disease. A similar eruption has been described in the setting of ulcerative colitis, and has received the designation of vesiculopustular pyoderma gangrenosum. METHODS: Skin biopsy specimens were examined by conventional histopathologic methods and, in three cases, fresh tissue was available for direct immunofluorescence examination. A diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease was known in three of the patients and in the other two it was established by the skin biopsies. RESULTS: All skin biopsies of the five patients showed a neutrophilic dermatosis that had two morphologies. One was characterised by superficial neutrophilic dermolysis with subepidermal bulla formation and the other by a nonulcerating destructive suppurative folliculitis and perifollicular neutrophilic dermolysis. Both were frequently accompanied by a neutrophilic and lymphotic eccrine hidradermitis and a Sweet's syndrome-like vascular reaction. The lesions were held to represent a novel vesiculopustular eruption with features reminiscent of pyoderma gangrenosum. CONCLUSIONS: We propose the term vesiculopustular eruption of hepatobiliary disease for this distinctive clinicopathologic entity, which bears a strong histologic resemblance to pyoderma gangrenosum. Patients with a known hepatopathy who present with necrotizing vesicles and pustules may have such an eruption. The onset may be the first clue to or herald an exacerbation of underlying liver disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Mixed connective tissue disease. A clinical, histologic, and immunofluorescence study of eight cases.

A study of the cutaneous eruptions of eight patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) was performed to better characterize its dermatopathology and to explore a role for the membrane attack complex of complement C5b-9 in lesional pathogenesis. Nine lesional skin biopsies were obtained from eight patients with MCTD and analyzed by conventional light microscopy. Direct immunofluorescence (IF) and indirect IF using a monoclonal antibody to C5b-9 were applied in six and five cases respectively. The biopsied cutaneous eruptions were characterized clinically as photo-distributed erythematosus annular and/or papulosquamous lesions mimnicking subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) in five of eight patients as an ill-defined, telangiectatic, scaly patch on the face in one patient, palpable purpura in one patient, and dorsal hand blisters resembling porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) in another. With the exception of the latter two patients, the histology appeared similar, comprising a cell poor and/or lichenoid interface dermatitis with suprabasilar exocytosis around necrotic keratinocytes in the absence of deep periadnexal or perivascular extension or conspicuous follicular plugging, a pattern similar to that of SCLE. However, the lesions differed from SCLE by virtue of vasculopathic alterations comprising vascular ectasia, hypovascularity, and/or luminal thrombosis confined to the superficial vascular plexus and a sclerodermoid tissue reaction, the latter seen in two cases. One biopsy showed a pustular leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV). In another case, a biopsied hand blister demonstrated a PCT-like appearance histologically, namely, pauci-inflammatory subepithelial blister formation with hyalinization of dermal papillae capillaries accompanied by an LCV. There was nuclear keratinocyte decoration with IgG and C5b-9 in all cases studied, accompanied by a positive lupus band test in two cases and homogenous deposition of immunoreactants along the dermoepidermal junction and within vessels in the PCT-like eruption. Granular vascular decoration with immunoreactants including C5b-9 was seen in two LCV cases and in two biopsies from rashes clinically mimicking SCLE. Although the epidermal pathology of MCTD mimicks that of SCLE, a concomitant vasculopathy paralleling that seen in skin lesions of dermatomyositis distinquishes the dermatopathology of MCTD from that of SCLE. Corroborating the role of microangiopathy in the pathogenesis of the skin lesions of MCTD was the demonstration of C5b-9 in blood vessels. The deposition of C5b-9 in keratinocytes may explain the pattern Of IgG decoration of keratinocytes; the formation of plasmalemmal pores may permit binding of immunoglobulin to antigens in the nucleus and/or cytosol. The C 5b-9 complex may be the effector mechanism of epithelial and/or endothelial cell injury in MCTD or may serve to augment the effects of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Atypical lymphoid infiltrates arising in cutaneous lesions of connective tissue disease.

Atypical lymphoid infiltrates occurring in the setting of connective-tissue disease (CTD) comprise malignant neoplasms of B-cell or T-cell phenotypes and various reactive lymphoid hyperplasias, such as myoepithelial sialadenitis, lymphocytic thyroiditis, and lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis. We describe 17 patients with atypical lymphoid infiltrates arising in cutaneous lesions of CTD, the spectrum of which included lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, relapsing polychondritis, and lichen sclerosus et atrophicus. There were two principal categories, pseudolymphoma and malignant lymphoma, the former representing 15 of the 17 cases. The clinical and histologic features and possible pathogenetic mechanisms are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The clinical and histomorphological features of pityriasis rubra pilaris. A comparative analysis with psoriasis.

Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) is an idiopathic erythematous scaling eruption which can be difficult to distinguish from psoriasis. We explored the clinical features, including background medical illnesses and potential triggers in patients with PRP, and also its histomorphologic spectrum. Patients with PRP were selected by natural language search of dermatopathology databases containing 250,000 cases accessioned over a 3-year period. A detailed medical history was obtained on each patient via office chart review and patient interviews. We compared the histologic findings in skin biopsies from patients with PRP to those of biopsies matched for site and age from control patients with psoriasis. Certain aspects of the clinical presentations encountered in the study group patients have not been previously emphasized, including eruptions compatible with a vesiculobullous disorder in 4 patients. Several patients had evidence of underlying iatrogenic or systemic immune dysregulatory states and certain triggers could be isolated such as emotional stress and prior exposure to microbial pathogens. Histomorphologic features predictive of PRP included follicular plugging, an increased granular cell layer, and acantholysis. While seen in a minority of biopsies of PRP, morphologic discriminators supportive of a diagnosis of psoriasis included neutrophils in the parakeratotic scale crust, and dermal papillae capillary ectasia with vessels lying in direct apposition to the epidermis. Other morphologic features were encountered in biopsies of PRP which have received little emphasis in the dermatopathology literature, including epithelial atrophy, significant dermal inflammation, the presence of eosinophils and plasma cells within the inflammatory infiltrates, an abnormal granular cell layer, and epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, albeit none were statistically signficant predictors of PRP over psoriasis. Nevertheless, their identification emphasizes the varied histologic spectrum of PRP. The almost ubiquitous finding of acantholysis and the presence of an abnormal granular cell layer in many biopsies of PRP suggests that abnormal keratins or defects in the retinol signalling pathway may be of pathogenetic importance.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

The immunofluorescent profile of dermatomyositis: a comparative study with lupus erythematosus.

We have demonstrated a role for microvascular injury mediated by the membrane attack complex of complement (C5b-9) in the genesis of cutaneous lesions of dermatomyositis (DM) (1). The purpose of this study is to revisit the immunofluorescent (IF) profile of DM, to further investigate the role of C5b-9 in the pathogenesis of cutaneous lesions, and to see if any features of the IF profile reliably distinguish DM from LE. Lesional skin biopsies from 24 patients with clinical findings characteristic of DM were received in formalin and in Michel's transport medium. Conventional light microscopy, and IF studies with antibodies monospecific for IgG, IgA, IgM, C3, fibrin and C5b-9 were performed. The control group comprised biopsies from 31 patients with well-documented LE. A positive lupus band test (LBT) correlated highly with a diagnosis of LE, with a sensitivity of 64.5% and a specificity of 95.6% (p=0.001). The LBT was most sensitive in the setting of DLE and SLE and was least sensitive in the setting of SCLE. The finding of vascular C5b-9 deposition correlated with a diagnosis of DM versus LE (p=0.001) although the false positive rate was 21.4%. The false negative rate was reduced when vascular C5b-9 was seen in the absence of antibodies to Ro, La, or RNP. While a negative LBT correlated with a diagnosis of DM (p=0.001), the specificity was only 64.5%. However, when it was seen in concert with C5b-9 along the DEJ, specificity was increased to 80.6% (p=0.001). The presence of C5b-9 in vessels and along the DEJ in concert with a negative LBT was predictive of DM (p=0.001) with a specificity of 93.5%, sensitivity of 78.3%, a false positive rate of 10% and a false negative rate of 14.7%. The combination of a negative LBT, vascular C5b-9 deposition and negative serology for Ro, La, and RNP was a predictor of DM versus LE with a sensitivity of 90.5%, a specificity of 96.8%, a false positive rate of 5% and a false negative rate of 6.2% (p=0.001). The IF profile of DM in lesional skin comprises a negative LBT, deposition of C5b-9 within vessels and along the DEJ, and variable keratinocyte decoration for IgG and C5b-9. The most statistically powerful predictor of DM is the combination of a negative LBT with vascular C5b-9 deposition and negative serology for antibodies to Ro, La, Sm, and RNP. Demonstration of a negative LBT in all but 1 case of DM suggests that the DEJ is not a primary site for antigen-antibody interaction. We postulate that the aforementioned IF findings reflect humorally mediated injury of endothelium and keratinocytes, effected by C5b-9.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Differential expression of the bcl-2 oncogene in human basal cell carcinoma.

The bcl-2 protein increases cell longevity and reduces apoptosis. Expression of the bcl-2 oncogene is reported in certain low grade neoplasms including basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). The authors postulated that the indolent variants of BCC, namely, the superficial and circumscribed subtypes, might exhibit greater bcl-2 expression than their aggressive counterparts, and used a monoclonal antibody to identify its protein product in formalin-fixed tissue from 30 BCCs. Expression of bcl-2, observed in 28 to 30 BCCs, was greatest in indolent-growth BCCs and weakest in the aggressive-growth variants (P = .005). Variable bcl-2 expression is seen in BCC and may be integral to both its pathogenesis and its biological behavior.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1996

The role of microvascular injury in the pathogenesis of cutaneous lesions of dermatomyositis.

Although microvascular injury has been postulated as the pathogenetic basis of skeletal muscle injury in dermatomyositis (DM), its role in the genesis of the skin lesions, which are said to be difficult to distinguish light microscopically from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and subacute lupus erythematosus (SCLE), has not been analyzed. The authors' intention was to assess the role of microvascular injury in the pathogenesis of skin lesions in DM, SLE, and SCLE. Light microscopic features of biopsies of lesional skin from 20 patients with myopathic DM and 11 with amyopathic DM were compared to eight lesional skin biopsies from eight patients with SLE and 12 lesional skin biopsies from 12 patients with SCLE. Vascular density was compared in the three groups using an immunohistochemical preparation with an antibody to factor VIII. In 12 biopsies from the DM group, and in 19 of 20 lupus erythematosus (LE) specimens, frozen tissue was available. An indirect immunofluorescence methodology was used to detect C5b-9 deposition, and direct immunofluorescence studies for other immunoreactants were performed in standard fashion. Compared with LE, lesions of DM showed a greater degree of endothelial injury, vascular ectasia, and vascular fibrin deposition; there were no differences between myopathic versus amyopathic DM. C5b-9 deposition in vessels was significantly greater in DM than in LE. The superficial vascular plexus density was reduced in lesions of DM versus LE control groups with the greatest reduction observed in myopathic DM. Epithelial injury and mucin was greatest in myopathic DM. Microvascular injury is the apparent pathophysiological basis of skin lesions in DM. Careful attention to microvascular pathology enables distinction of DM from SLE and SCLE. Indirect immunofluorescence testing using a monoclonal antibody to C5b-9 is a valuable tool to distinguish DM from LE in biopsies of lesional skin.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Granuloma annulare and necrobiosis lipoidica tissue reactions as a manifestation of systemic disease.

Granuloma annulare (GA) and necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) are generally considered to be idiopathic cutaneous palisading granulomatous dermatitides. There are sporadic reports of such lesions occurring in patients with coexistent systemic diseases other than diabetes mellitus. Having encountered 49 patients whose skin biopsies showed GA or NL lesions in the setting of extracutaneous disease, the authors set out to assess their clinical and histopathological findings to determine if any parameters were predictive of underlying systemic disease. Fifty-two skin biopsies from 49 patients having either GA or NL in whom there was a clinical history of an associated systemic disease were analyzed by light microscopy. The main systemic disease associations were rheumatologic, endocrine, hematologic, infectious, and inflammatory bowel diseases, ANCA positive vasculitic syndromes, and sarcoidosis. The clinical and histomorphological features were compared with those of a control group of patients whose skin biopsies showed GA or NL and in whom there was no history of extracutaneous disease. For the systemic disease group, patients were selected either retrospectively or prospectively from 160,000 cases accessioned in a 24-month period in the dermatopathology databases of Pathology Services, Inc (Cambridge, MA) and Central Medical Laboratories (Winnipeg, Canada). All systemic disease cases from the former service were analyzed blindly by the second author and from the latter service were analyzed blindly by the first author. Patients in the control group were obtained retrospectively from the Pathology Services Inc. database by the authors. The location of the lesions was atypical in 30 of 34 biopsies from systemic disease patients with a GA tissue reaction versus 10 of 22 biopsies of GA in the control group (P = .001). Six of 18 biopsies from patients with NL tissue reactions in the systemic disease group showed an atypical location, versus only 1 of 9 biopsies of NL from the control group (P = .19). The clinical diagnostic considerations were much broader in the systemic disease group versus the control group and included vasculitis, panniculitis, and connective tissue diseases including morphea in the former. In 22 of 34 GA biopsies and 16 of 18 NL biopsies from the systemic disease group, an active vasculopathy of leukocytoclastic, granulomatous, or thrombogenic subtypes was demonstrable. None of the GA or NL biopsies from the control group showed a similar active vasculopathy. An active vasculopathy was predictive of systemic disease in patients having either a GA-like or an NL-like tissue reaction (P < .001). Fifteen of 34 GA and 7 of 18 NL biopsies in the systemic diseases group showed extravascular neutrophilia in contrast to 3 of 22 GA (P = .02) biopsies and 2 of 9 NL (P = .33) biopsies in the control group. The finding of an active vasculopathy in a skin biopsy specimen showing a GA- or NL-like tissue reaction, particularly in the setting of an atypical clinical presentation both with respect to the location and appearance of lesions, should prompt consideration of an underlying systemic disease, as should extravascular neutrophilia in a skin biopsy showing a GA-like tissue reaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A morphological study of penile chancroid lesions in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and -negative African men with a hypothesis concerning the role of chancroid in HIV transmission.

Chancroid, the most common cause of genital ulceration in Africa, is known to be associated epidemiologically with heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The pathophysiological mechanisms by which chancroid might facilitate the spread of HIV are obscure. To investigate the role of chancroid in HIV transmission, the authors studied the histological features of biopsies from 11 men with penile chancroid lesions including five who were serologically positive for HIV. The histomorphologic and immunophenotypic nature of the inflammatory infiltrates suggests that there is a significant role for cell-mediated immunity in the host response to Hemophilus ducreyi infection. This response may be critical to the role of chancroid in HIV transmission.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1996

Drug-induced immune dysregulation as a cause of atypical cutaneous lymphoid infiltrates: a hypothesis.

The authors encountered 22 patients in whom a skin biopsy showed atypical lymphoid hyperplasia and in whom a subsequent drug history showed indigestion of one or more agents before lesional onset. In 13 patients, the biopsy had been performed to rule out a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma, whereas the other nine the clinical impression was that of a drug eruption. Among the more frequently prescribed agents were calcium-channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, antidepressants, antihistamines, beta-blockers, benzodiazepines and lipid-lowering agents, all of which are either known to perturb lymphocyte function or have been implicated as a cause of pseudolymphomata. Twelve of the patients were on two or more of these drugs. The effect of drug modulation on the clinical course was assessed. The clinical presentations were as one or more erythematous plaques or multiple infiltrative papules, or as solitary nodules. The patient had been on one or more of the aforementioned drugs from 2 weeks to 5 years before developing the lesions. Resolution of the eruptions occurred in 17 patients within 1 to 32 weeks (mean, 7 weeks) of discontinuing the medication. Five additional patients had complete excision of solitary lesions without recurrence. A history of atopy, autoimmune disease, or previous carcinoma was elicited in five patients. All biopsy specimens showed atypical lymphoid infiltrates, which assumed one or more of the following patterns: mycosis fungoides (MF)-like, a lymphomatoid vascular reaction, lymphocytoma cutis and follicular mucinosis. Based on the histopathology of the biopsied lesions and the clinical course being one of lesional resolution after cessation of drug therapy or excision of a solitary lesion without subsequent recurrence, a diagnosis of drug-associated lymphomatoid hypersensitivity was established in all specimens. A diagnosis of drug-associated pseudolymphoma should be excluded before a diagnosis of cutaneous lymphoma is rendered, and should be considered if the patient is on a drug known to alter lymphocyte function, particularly in the setting of systemic immune dysregulation or multidrug therapy where agent may act synergistically or cumulatively to alter lymphoid function. The authors postulate that the drug may promote an aberrant immune response to an antigen that may be the drug itself or some other stimulus. A skin biopsy may be particularly helpful, as the lesions of drug-associated pseudolymphoma have a morphology distinctive from malignant lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Basal cell carcinoma arising in association with desmoplastic trichilemmoma.

We encountered three cases of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and one case of an atypical basaloid proliferation best classified as a BCC arising in association with desmoplastic trichilemmomata. Desmoplastic trichilemmoma is a benign tumoral lesion with a pseudomalignant appearance that combines histomorphological features of an infiltrating neoplasm with those of a benign trichilemmoma.

Adolescent↗