Sina Shahabi; Ifa Etesami; Amirhossein Shahabi; Yasamin Kalantari; Robabeh Abedini; Maryam Daneshpazhooh
Abstract
Background: With the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many people were affected worldwide.This study evaluated patients’ characteristics and skin diseases at a Dermatology Emergency Unit (DEU) of a university skin hospital in Tehran, Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
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Background: With the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many people were affected worldwide.This study evaluated patients’ characteristics and skin diseases at a Dermatology Emergency Unit (DEU) of a university skin hospital in Tehran, Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also compared the results with those of a previous study performed at the same DEU in 2017.Methods: The data of all patients presented to the DEU during the first four months of the pandemic in Iran (February to June 2020) were studied, and variables such as age, sex, complaints, and finaldiagnosis were collected.Results: A total of 3,745 patients (50.3% male) were studied. Infections (32.4%), dermatitis (20.5%), and urticaria (16.8%) were the most prevalent diagnoses in both genders. Infections were significantly more frequent in males (P < 0.001), while urticaria was more common in females (P < 0.001). The highest number of visits occurred between 12:00–18:00 (34.0%) and most patients were between 18–44 years old (48.8%).Conclusion: With the growing number of COVID-19 cases, the DEU of our skin hospital was involved as part of the medical community in screening COVID-19 patients. Compared to the previous study, the general framework of common causes of DEU visits was very similar to that of the non-pandemic era, although a significant increase in the proportion of dermatitis cases was observed. Likewise, the proportion of non-skin complaints was significantly higher, reflecting the public concern about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kambiz Kamyab Hesari; AliReza Ghanadan; Vahidehsadat Azhari; Shirin Taraz Jamshidi; Reza Amiri; Hamidreza Mahmoudi; Ali Salehi Farid; Ali Nili; Anahita Borzouei; Maryam Daneshpazhooh
Abstract
Background: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is the most common form of immune-mediated scarring alopecia. We evaluated the histopathologic features of LPP in vertical sections of scalp biopsies and compared findings between the scarring and nonscarring phases of the disease.Methods: From June 2019 to June ...
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Background: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) is the most common form of immune-mediated scarring alopecia. We evaluated the histopathologic features of LPP in vertical sections of scalp biopsies and compared findings between the scarring and nonscarring phases of the disease.Methods: From June 2019 to June 2020, vertically sectioned scalp biopsies of 70 new cases of LPP were examined (H&E) according to North American Hair Research Society criteria. Furthermore, patients were divided into two groups based on either the presence or the absence of vertical fibrous bands, and other histopathological features were compared between these two groups.Results: Characteristic findings of LPP were perifollicular lymphocytic infiltration (97.1%), follicular interface degeneration (60%), and perifollicular plasmacytic infiltration (21.4%). Vacuolar degeneration in the dermo-epidermal junction (38.6%), perifollicular lamellar fibroplasia (67.1%), loss of sebaceous glands (87.1%), perifollicular cleft formation (28.6%), and vertical fibrous tracts (65.7%) were also found. Furthermore, we found a significant correlation between the presence of fibrous tracts with both loss of sebaceous glands (P = 0.005) and the presence of lamellar fibroplasia (P = 0.015).Conclusion: The most common findings in the histopathological examination of LPP slides are perifollicular lymphocytic infiltration and loss of the sebaceous glands. Furthermore, sebaceous gland loss and perifollicular lamellar fibroplasia correlate with the scarring phase of LPP.
