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Kaushal K Verma

Publications and source records attributed to Kaushal K Verma.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Role of azathioprine in preventing recurrences in a patient of recurrent erythema nodosum leprosum.

The pathogenesis of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) involves both immune complex deposition and dysfunction of cell mediated immunity. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) plays an important role in its pathogenesis. Thalidomide and corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment for ENL. However, there are often severe limitations to their use. We report a case of recurrent ENL treated successfully with azathioprine. A 15-year-old unmarried girl with lepromatous leprosy had recurrent ENL for 2 years. She was treated with WHO-MB MDT and prednisolone in doses of 40-90 mg a day for 2-12 weeks. Her condition was inadequately controlled. The patient was therefore treated with thalidomide 300 mg and prednisolone 40 mg. The symptoms subsided after 5 days and ENL lesions healed in 2 weeks. Prednisolone was reduced by 10 mg per week and stopped, while thalidomide was reduced to 100 twice daily after 4 weeks. Azathioprine 100 mg (2 mg/kg per day) daily orally was added to prevent recurrences. Thalidomide was further reduced and stopped after another 4 weeks while she continued with azathioprine in the same doses for 8 months. There was no recurrence of ENL lesions and no side effects of the therapy. MB-MDT was stopped 1 year ago, and she is on follow-up without any relapse. Azathioprine, therefore, appears to be an effective and safe drug to prevent recurrences of ENL.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2005

Total skin electron irradiation therapy in mycosis fungoides using high-dose rate mode: a preliminary experience.

INTRODUCTION: Total skin electron irradiation (TSEI) therapy is the treatment of choice for mycosis fungoides. However, conventional TSEI therapy is time consuming as well as patient unfriendly. Therefore we used high-dose rate (HDR) mode TSEI in these patients. High-dose rate mode of TSEI is a technological innovation attached to a Linear Accelerator (Philips, SL-20, Netherlands), which can deliver an electron beam of 30 Gy/min at the iso-center. The iso-center faces the patient, 100 cm away from the target of the linear accelerator. The patient is treated at a distance of 10 feet from the iso-center of the linear accelerator. The dose delivered to the skin was 1.13 Gy/min, making the treatment execution much easier and patient compliance much better. METHODS: Seven male patients between 40 and 64 years in age having mycosis fungoides for 9-18 months were treated by TSEI using high-dose rate mode between 1998 and 2000. The TSEI was performed according to the Stanford technique, delivering a total dose of 36 Gy. Each patient received a dose of 1.2 Gy/field/day. There were six fields, i.e. anterior, posterior, left and right anterior obliques, and left and right posterior obliques in both the upper and lower parts of the body. The eyes and nails were shielded at each session of radiotherapy. The times taken at each session of the therapy and radiation-associated side-effects were determined in each patient. The patients were followed up to 26 months (median 9 months) to look for any relapse. RESULTS: Three patients had early stage disease (IB) whereas four patients had advanced disease (IIB). Six patients out of these had complete remission following TSEI while one patient died as a result of progression of the disease during treatment. The treatment time taken at each treatment session in each individual patient was approximately 15 min. Radiation-associated morbidity was seen in all patients. Cutaneous lesions relapsed in two patients after 4 and 10 months, respectively, while four patients were alive without the disease at the end of 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Total skin electron irradiation using high-dose rate mode delivery of electrons is an easy, better, compliant and effective therapeutic modality for treatment of mycosis fungoides with an acceptable range of toxicities.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Bullous mastocytosis treated with oral betamethasone therapy.

Bullous mastocytosis is a very rare variant of cutaneous mastocytosis. The condition is characterized by a diffuse infiltration of the skin by mast cells manifesting as yellowish, thickened doughy skin with appearance of large blisters. The authors report herewith a 7-month-old female infant with history of recurrent episodes of vesiculobullous lesions on the face, trunk and the extremities and excessive tendency to rub and scratch the skin for 3 months. She also had recurrent episodes of facial flushing. On cutaneous examination there were multiple flaccid bullae, urticarial wheals and crusted erosions on her scalp, face, neck, trunk and extremities. She had generalised yellowish thick and rough skin, giving doughy feel and 'peau d' orange' appearance of the skin at places. Systemic examination was within normal limits. Skin biopsy from a lesion showed subepidermal bulla and an upper dermal inflammatory infiltrate comprising of lymphocytes and many mast cells. Toluidine blue staining of the cells showed presence of metachromatic granules in these cells. A diagnosis of bullous mastocytosis was made and the patient was treated with oral antihistamines to which there was no satisfactory response. Betamethasone in a dose of 0.1 mg/kg/day given orally caused complete remission of the disease in 4 weeks. The drug was gradually tapered and stopped over the next 6 weeks. There were no side effects of the therapy.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2004

Diapers and skin care: merits and demerits.

Diapers have been used for care of babies since decades to prevent soiling and for social convenience. However, the use of diaper poses a risk of developing diaper dermatitis. Recent innovations in diaper technology have led to development of superabsobent disposable diapers, emollient delivering diapers and breathable diapers. These newer types of diapers reduce the incidence of diaper dermatitis. The non-biodegradable material used in superabsorbent diapers is, however, a matter of serious concern because of its toxic effects and environmental pollution. The different type of diapers, recent advances in them and their environmental concerns are discussed in this article.

Diapers, Infant↗
PubMed2004

A comparative study of punch grafting followed by topical corticosteroid versus punch grafting followed by PUVA therapy in stable vitiligo.

BACKGROUND: Punch grafting followed by PUVA is an established therapy for stable vitiligo, but punch grafting followed by topical corticosteroid has never been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of topical corticosteroid in perigraft pigmentation and to compare it with perigraft pigmentation after PUVA in patients with stable vitiligo. METHODS: Fifty patients with stable vitiligo of various clinical types were subjected to punch grafting. In a randomized case study, these patients were divided into two groups: One group received post punch-grafting PUVA (group I) and the other group post punch-grafting topical application of fluocinolone acetonide 0.1% (group II). During the follow-up period of 6 months, six patients were lost to follow-up, and two patients were excluded from the study; 42 patients were evaluated for pigment spread and side effects. RESULTS: In group I, the average pigment spread was 6.38 mm, whereas in group II, it was 6.94 mm, showing a slightly higher pigment spread in group II, which was statistically not significant (P=0.301). There was no difference in response to therapy in patients having segmental vitiligo as compared with nonsegmental vitiligo. Cobblestoning, depigmentation of the grafts, infection, and graft displacement were the important side effects seen in some patients in both the groups. CONCLUSION: The study shows that the pigment spread with topical corticosteroid is comparable to that with PUVA. However, the studies with long-term follow-up are required to establish this. The advantages of topical corticosteroid are that its use is easy, less cumbersome, cheaper, and more cost effective than PUVA.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMed2003

Diaper dermatitis--an overview.

Diaper dermatitis, also know as nappy rash, is an inflammation of the skin covered by nappy. It probably results due to an interaction of multiple factors like increased wetness, elevated pH due to urine, fecal enzymes and microorganisms under the nappy. It manifests as an erythematous rash occurring on the convex surfaces of skin under the nappy. Rashes resembling nappy dermatitis can also be caused by some diseases which may have serious systemic manifestations. Therefore it is essential to differentiate and treat them. The principle of treatment of diaper dermatitis is to keep the skin in the nappy area as dry as possible with frequent nappy change. The superabsorbent disposable diapers are known to reduce the incidence of diaper dermatitis. Barrier creams to protect the infant's skin and mild topical corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation are mainstays of therapy. The incidence and severity can be reduced by keeping the skin dry under the nappy and protected from irritants and infections.

Candidiasis, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2003

Stevens-Johnson syndrome with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura treated with dexamethasone pulse therapy.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe, episodic, acute, mucocutaneous hypersensitivity reaction often caused by drugs. We herewith report a case of SJS with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) that did not respond to daily oral prednisolone therapy. When treated with dexamethasone pulse therapy, the response was found to be very good. Therefore, we concluded that dexamethasone pulse therapy can be a good and an effective alternative therapy for treatment of such patients. However, to establish its role, further trials in more patients are needed.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Parthenium dermatitis presenting as photosensitive lichenoid eruption. A new clinical variant.

Parthenium hysterophorus is the commonest cause of airborne contact dermatitis (ABCD) in India. The disease usually manifests as itchy erythematous, papular, papulovesicular and plaque lesions on exposed areas of the body. Rarely, however, the disease may present as actinic reticuloid or photocontact dermatitis. We have observed a different clinical variant of this disease where certain patients with Parthenium dermatitis have presented with discrete, flat, violaceous papules and plaques on exposed areas of the body closely simulating photosensitive lichenoid eruption. We had 8 patients, 6 males and 2 females between 30 and 62 years of age, with itchy, violaceous, papules and plaques on the face, neck, ears, upper chest and dorsa of the hands for 6 months to 6.5 years. Four of these patients had a history of improvement of the lesions up to 30% in winter and aggravation of lesions on exposure to sunlight. There was no personal or family history of atopy. Cutaneous examination in all patients revealed multiple flat, violaceous, mildly erythematous papules and plaques on the forehead, sides and nape of neck, ears, 'V' area of the chest, and extensor aspects of the forearms and hands. Skin biopsies from these lesions showed features of chronic non-specific dermatitis. Patch testing with standardized plant antigens showed a positive patch test reaction to Parthenium hysterophorus in all patients, with a titre of contact hypersensitivity (TCH) varying from undiluted to 1 : 100. We conclude that Parthenium dermatitis may occasionally present with lesions very similar to the lesions of photosensitive lichenoid eruption in morphology and distribution. This clinical presentation of Parthenium dermatitis needs to be recognized to avoid misdiagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parthenium dermatitis treated with azathioprine weekly pulse doses.

BACKGROUND: Parthenium dermatitis is a serious problem in India. Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment but the prolonged use of corticosteroids can cause serious side effects. Azathioprine used in daily doses has been shown to be effective. AIM: We have evaluated the effectiveness of azathioprine weekly pulse doses for the treatment of parthenium dermatitis. METHODS: Twelve patients, ten males and two females, aged between 39 and 65 years (mean +/- SD = 53.5 +/- 8.7) having air-borne contact dermatitis to Parthenium hysterophorus for 3-19 years (mean = 6.33) were included in the study. The diagnosis in each patient was confirmed by patch-testing. The severity of the disease was determined by clinical severity score (CSS) on the basis of erythema, itching, type of lesions, and areas of body involved. RESULTS: The pretreatment CSS in these patients varied from 29.7 to 55.5 (mean +/- SD: 40.40 +/- 7.95). After clinical and laboratory evaluation, the patients were treated with 300-mg azathioprine once-weekly doses for 6 months. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were repeated at weeks 1, 2, and then every 4 weeks until the end of therapy to evaluate the therapeutic response and side effects. The response was excellent (80-100% clearance of disease) in seven (58.33%) patients and good (60% clearance) in five (41.66%) patients. The post-treatment CSS decreased from the mean +/- SD of 40.4 +/- 7.95 to 10.9 +/- 8.43 (P = 0.002). There were no significant side effects of the therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary open study, azathioprine in weekly pulse doses has been found to be effective without any serious adverse effects in the treatment of parthenium dermatitis. The cost of therapy with this regimen is reduced by 60%.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Superficial basal cell carcinoma on face treated with 5% imiquimod cream.

Imiquimod, an immune response modifier, is known to possess both anti-viral and anti-tumor effect. We report our experience of treating a large superficial spreading basal cell carcinoma with 5% imiquimod cream. A 65-year-old male had an asymptomatic, hyperpigmented, slowly progressive, indurated, 3 x 4 cm plaque on the left cheek for two months. Biopsy from the lesion showed features of basal cell carcinoma. The patient was treated with imiquimod 5% cream, topically three times a week for six months with complete resolution of the lesion and without any side-effects. There was no clinical or histological recurrence after three months of stopping the treatment.

Aged↗