Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Meredith K Kosann.
Dermatitis herpetiformis is a chronic, lifelong disease characterized both by symptomatic, characteristic skin lesions and by a gluten-sensitive, often asymptomatic, enteropathy. Cutaneous findings include intensely pruritic vesicles on symmetrical extensor locations. Treatment for disease may be pharmacologic agents or a gluten-free diet. Evidence for the genetic basis of disease has been elucidated.
Inflammatory verrucous epidermal nevus presents in early childhood as a pruritic, erythematous, linear plaque. The 23-year-old man described in this report demonstrates the adult onset of the condition. Clinical findings, differential diagnosis, disease associations, and treatment options are discussed.
Keratosis follicularis is a genetic disorder that is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Physical examination classically shows keratotic papules that are distributed mostly on the so-called "seborrheic" areas of the body. Nail involvement is not uncommon and is characterized by V-shaped nicking at the distal aspect of the nail bed, longitudinal red and white alternating bands, and subungual hyperkeratosis. Mucosal membrane involvement may occur as white papules on the buccal mucosae, palate, and gingiva with a cobblestone appearance. The mutation has been traced to chromosome 12, where a spectrum of mutations within the ATP2A2 gene encode the calcium ATPase of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SERCA2).