Excimer Laser Therapy for Pigmented Purpuric Dermatosis: A Case Study

BACKGROUND Pigmented purpuric dermatosis (PPD) is a rare disease that is poorly understood but thought to result from inflammation of the capillaries causing extravasation of erythrocytes into the soft tissue. There are a variety of potential causes, including medications, such as acetaminophen and aspirin, abnormal humoral immunity, and excessive exercise. Although benign, PPD can be bothersome to patients due to associated pruritus, weeping, and poor cosmetic results. Treatment of this lesion is difficult, with no standardized regimen and a tendency for relapse once treatment is discontinued. CASE REPORT This case reports on a 77-year-old man who presented to an outpatient dermatology clinic with bilateral lower extremity edema with associated weeping and erythema for 1 year. A biopsy was conducted and resulted as PPD. He began treatment with excimer laser therapy after conservative and topical treatment options failed, with resolution of symptoms without recurrence for approximately 1 year. CONCLUSIONS PPD is notoriously difficult to treat, and historic treatment options include topical corticosteroids, oral supplements, and immunomodulators, all of which come with a range of adverse effects. However, new literature supports the use of phototherapy to treat PPD, with varying results. Previously implemented options include but are not limited to phototherapy with psoralen plus ultraviolet A, narrow band ultraviolet B, advanced fluorescence technology pulsed light, and fractional non-ablative 1540-nm erbium: glass laser, each with varying degrees of success. This case discusses the successful treatment of recalcitrant PPD with excimer laser therapy and maintenance of remission for approximately 1 year.

Mixed purpuric and maculopapular eruption in a 70-year-old woman

A 70-year-old woman presented with diffuse mixed purpuric and erythematous maculopapular lesions that spared the folds. Histological examination revealed a discrete perivascular and interstitial lymphocytic infiltrate with a monomorphic appearance in the dermis.

Pigmented purpura dermatosis-like mycosis fungoides: four case reports and a review of published cases

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most prevalent type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and is generally characterized by multiple patches or plaques with fine scales. One of its variants manifests with multiple purpuric eruptions, mimicking benign pigmented purpuric dermatosis (PPD). To investigate clinicopathological features of PPD-like MF patients. We report four PPD-like MF cases and summarize the clinicopathological features described in reports of nine PPD-like MF cases published in the past 20 years. Compared with benign PPD, petechial lesions in PPD-like MF are more generalized, persistent, and resistant to conventional steroid treatment. Histologically, a superficial dermal band-like infiltrate of atypical lymphocytes with epidermotropism seems to be the most common feature of PPD-like MF. A lymphoid phenotype of CD4+ CD7- T cells and a monoclonal T-cell profile, demonstrated by T-cell receptor gene arrangement analysis, favour a diagnosis of PPD-like MF. Although the exact relationship between PPD and PPD-like MF remains unclear, our study has attached importance to the differential diagnosis of the two diseases in cases of overlooked MF variants. If persistent or generalized purpuric lesions are present, PPD-like MF should be taken into consideration. A thorough physical examination combined with pathological findings may lead to a correct diagnosis.

Valsalva purpura on the face of a 7-year-old child

Valsalva purpura refers to purpura resulting from performing the Valsalva maneuver, a forced expiratory effort against a closed glottis. There are limited reported cases of Valsalva purpura in children, specifically on the cheeks. We present the case of a 7-year-old child who developed Valsalva purpura on his cheeks after performing the Valsalva maneuver during deep breathing exercises by holding his breath underwater during his swimming sessions. This article overviews the relationship between the Valsalva maneuver, purpura, and similar cases.

Pigmenting Purpuric Dermatoses: Striking But Not a Manifestation of COVID-19 Infection

Purpuric or erythematous eruptions of the lower extremities can be perplexing, especially because this clinical sign has been associated with COVID-19 infection. Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 often has been the first differential diagnosis for many clinical findings; however, pigmented purpuric dermatoses (PPDs) are distinctive, reassuring, eponymous, and not linked to this virus. In this article, we differentiate the PPDs and delineate them from potentially serious differential diagnoses, including inflammatory retiform purpura, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, stasis dermatitis, and cellulitis.

Adult Scurvy Presenting with Painful Purpura on the Legs

Prolonged vitamin C deficiency can result in numerous metabolic abnormalities like impaired tissue repair and defective collagen synthesis. This case report describes a middle-age Japanese man presenting painful purpura on his lower limbs, severe anemia, and altered consciousness. The patient had been eating a selective diet lacking in vegetables and fruits since childhood. A serum analysis demonstrated a low level of vitamin C. The patient was treated with vitamin supplementation and psychological intervention. Scurvy is an under-considered illness with a favorable prognosis if diagnosed early while it is still sporadically encountered in some patients with malabsorption or malnutrition even in modern times.

Hyperpigmented lesion on left palm

The location of the lesion and an insight into the patient's regular activities revealed the clinical diagnosis.

[Cutaneous Manifestations Associated with COVID-19: A Narrative Review]

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that has spread rapidly throughout the world. This has resulted in an urgent need to obtain information regarding its pathogenesis, diagnosis and clinical manifestations. More specifically, skin manifestations, seldom reported initially, have been increasingly described.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed a literature search in the PubMed database, regarding cutaneous manifestations associated with COVID-19. This article describes the clinical and histological findings of the main skin lesions observed in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

DISCUSSION

Cutaneous manifestations associated with COVID-19 have been described in multiple retrospective and prospective studies, case series and case reports. The reported incidence reached 20.4%. Although there was substantial heterogeneity in terms of clinical patterns, the main ones include: erythematous/maculopapular, urticarial, papulovesicular, and purpuric/petechial eruptions, chilblain-like lesions and livedoid/acro-ischemic lesions. In the vast majority, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms are not fully understood, although histopathological findings and biomolecular studies can add relevant data.

CONCLUSION

The recognition of cutaneous manifestations associated with COVID-19 is of utmost importance. They may help establishing an early diagnosis, namely in oligosymptomatic patients or when confirmatory tests are impossible to perform. Moreover, chilblain-like lesions and acro-ischemia, also seem to play an important role in terms of prognosis.

Complement associated microvascular injury and thrombosis in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 infection: A report of five cases

Acute respiratory failure and a systemic coagulopathy are critical aspects of the morbidity and mortality characterizing infection with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome-associated coronavirus-2, the etiologic agent of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We examined skin and lung tissues from 5 patients with severe COVID-19 characterized by respiratory failure (n= 5) and purpuric skin rash (n = 3). COVID-19 pneumonitis was predominantly a pauci-inflammatory septal capillary injury with significant septal capillary mural and luminal fibrin deposition and permeation of the interalveolar septa by neutrophils. No viral cytopathic changes were observed and the diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) with hyaline membranes, inflammation, and type II pneumocyte hyperplasia, hallmarks of classic acute respiratory distress syndrome, were not prominent. These pulmonary findings were accompanied by significant deposits of terminal complement components C5b-9 (membrane attack complex), C4d, and mannose binding lectin (MBL)-associated serine protease (MASP)2, in the microvasculature, consistent with sustained, systemic activation of the complement pathways. The purpuric skin lesions similarly showed a pauci-inflammatory thrombogenic vasculopathy, with deposition of C5b-9 and C4d in both grossly involved and normally-appearing skin. In addition, there was co-localization of COVID-19 spike glycoproteins with C4d and C5b-9 in the interalveolar septa and the cutaneous microvasculature of 2 cases examined. In conclusion, at least a subset of sustained, severe COVID-19 may define a type of catastrophic microvascular injury syndrome mediated by activation of complement pathways and an associated procoagulant state. It provides a foundation for further exploration of the pathophysiologic importance of complement in COVID-19, and could suggest targets for specific intervention.

Complement associated microvascular injury and thrombosis in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 infection: A report of five cases

Acute respiratory failure and a systemic coagulopathy are critical aspects of the morbidity and mortality characterizing infection with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome-associated coronavirus-2, the etiologic agent of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We examined skin and lung tissues from 5 patients with severe COVID-19 characterized by respiratory failure (n= 5) and purpuric skin rash (n = 3). COVID-19 pneumonitis was predominantly a pauci-inflammatory septal capillary injury with significant septal capillary mural and luminal fibrin deposition and permeation of the interalveolar septa by neutrophils. No viral cytopathic changes were observed and the diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) with hyaline membranes, inflammation, and type II pneumocyte hyperplasia, hallmarks of classic acute respiratory distress syndrome, were not prominent. These pulmonary findings were accompanied by significant deposits of terminal complement components C5b-9 (membrane attack complex), C4d, and mannose binding lectin (MBL)-associated serine protease (MASP)2, in the microvasculature, consistent with sustained, systemic activation of the complement pathways. The purpuric skin lesions similarly showed a pauci-inflammatory thrombogenic vasculopathy, with deposition of C5b-9 and C4d in both grossly involved and normally-appearing skin. In addition, there was co-localization of COVID-19 spike glycoproteins with C4d and C5b-9 in the interalveolar septa and the cutaneous microvasculature of 2 cases examined. In conclusion, at least a subset of sustained, severe COVID-19 may define a type of catastrophic microvascular injury syndrome mediated by activation of complement pathways and an associated procoagulant state. It provides a foundation for further exploration of the pathophysiologic importance of complement in COVID-19, and could suggest targets for specific intervention.

Calciphylaxis in Association with Alcoholic Cirrhosis and Hepatorenal Syndrome

A 45-year-old woman with cirrhosis secondary to alcohol abuse was transferred from an outside hospital for management of a painful cutaneous eruption, progressively worsening over 2 weeks. On examination, the patient was a middle-aged white woman lying in bed in no acute distress, with jaundice and a protuberant abdomen consistent with ascites. The patient was afebrile (98.2°F), heart rate of 79 beats per minute, blood pressure of 105/61 mmHg, respiratory rate of 18 breaths per minute, and oxygen saturation of 93% on room air. She had multiple large stellate lesions of retiform purpura with central hemorrhagic necrosis on both thighs, with surrounding induration (Figures 1 and 2). These purpuric plaques and perilesional skin were exquisitely painful to palpation.