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Papulosquamous Skin Eruptions

» Name the papulosquamous skin eruptions.
» What is psoriasis?
» What is its incidence of psoriasis?
» List the different types of psoriasis.
» What is guttate psoriasis?
» Does pustular psoriasis refer to psoriasis that is secondarily infected?
» What is inverse psoriasis?
» Is there a genetic basis for psoriasis?
» If one of my relatives has psoriasis, what is the chance that I will get psoriasis?
» Name the types of psoriatic arthritis.
» Describe the clinical features of the psoriatic arthritides.
» What are the abnormal nail findings seen in psoriasis? Which is most common?
» Are there other nonskin manifestations of psoriasis?
» You are working in a dermatology clinic, seeing a patient with a rash that is possibly psoriasis. Outside the room, the attending asks if you noticed any evidence of the “Koebner phenomenon” or an “Auspitz sign” when you examined the patient. What are these?
» Name three types of drugs that precipitate or exacerbate psoriasis.
» What other factors can provoke or exacerbate psoriasis?
» Do systemic corticosteroids help psoriasis?
» What topical medications are used to treat psoriasis?
» How is ultraviolet radiation used to treat psoriasis?
» What systemic drugs are used to treat psoriasis?
» What biologic agents may be used in the treatment of psoriasis?
» Describe the rash of pityriasis rubra pilaris.
» Although pityriasis rubra pilaris can occur at any age, in what decades is it most often seen? What is the prognosis?
» How is pityriasis rubra pilaris treated?
» Describe the distribution of the “seborrheic areas.”
» What does seborrheic dermatitis look like?
» What causes seborrheic dermatitis?
» How can you differentiate between seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis of the scalp?
» How is seborrheic dermatitis treated?
» What is pityriasis rosea? Describe the characteristic rash.
» What is the cause of pityriasis rosea?
» In the dermatology clinic, a 20-year-old man presents who has been referred from the primary care clinic with a diagnosis of pityriasis rosea. He has a rash that looks like pityriasis rosea, but he complains of fevers, myalgias, and swollen lymph glands. He remembers having an ulcer on his penis several months ago. What test do you recommend?
» What are the two major types of parapsoriasis? Why is it important to differentiate between them?
» What is pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta?
» How is PLEVA treated?

 
 
 

In the dermatology clinic, a 20-year-old man presents who has been referred from the primary care clinic with a diagnosis of pityriasis rosea. He has a rash that looks like pityriasis rosea, but he complains of fevers, myalgias, and swollen lymph glands. He remembers having an ulcer on his penis several months ago. What test do you recommend?

The eruption of secondary syphilis can mimic pityriasis rosea, though patients often have systemic manifestations such as fever, lymphadenopathy, headache, or bone pain. Unlike pityriasis rosea, secondary syphilis often involves the palms, soles, and mucous membranes. A sexual history should be elicited in such patients, and a rapid plasma reagin (RPR) or Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test should be obtained. Because syphilis is readily treated, and because untreated syphilis can result in life-threatening cardiovascular and neurologic sequelae, many dermatologists customarily obtain an RPR or VDRL test on every sexually active patient who presents with a pityriasis rosea–like eruption.