Skin disease in pregnancy

Impetigo herpetiformis: A rare pregnancy-specific dermatosis

Impetigo herpetiformis (IH) is a pregnancy-specific dermatosis that is currently considered a form of generalised pustular psoriasis and mainly occurs in late pregnancy during the third trimester. IH presents as erythematous patches and pustules and might have systemic involvement. The disease may be associated with severe maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications. IH treatment is very challenging, however, various therapeutic options are available and effective for disease treatment.

[Dermatologic diseases and healthcare pathway among pregnant women]

OBJECTIVE

Make an inventory of skin lesions during pregnancy and obtain visibility on healthcare pathway among these women in order to identify more precisely the role of the general practitioner (GP).

METHODS

Prospective, observational study, using a self-administered questionnaire among all women in immediate postpartum period between April 2021 and August 2021, relating to pre-existing skin lesions or rashes that appeared during pregnancy, and the description of the healthcare pathway among these women.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was collected in 377 women with a mean age of 30.6±3.7 years, 88.6% had fair skin and 14.6% were smokers. Among them, 35 (9.3%) declared skin diseases prior to pregnancy, of which 22 had a history of atopic eczema. During pregnancy, 136 women (36.1%) declared having skin lesions, the most frequent of which were stretch marks (63.2%) and hyperpigmentation (26.5%), and mainly during the 2^nd trimester (47.0%). Among these 136 women, only 59 (43.4%) referred it to a health care professional who was in 47.4% of cases (28/59) their GP and in 76.3% (45/59) of cases during a pregnancy follow-up appointment.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that skin lesions during pregnancy were frequent and that the majority of these women consulted their GP.

Considerations for cutaneous physiologic changes of pregnancy that fail to resolve postpartum

Pregnancy prompts many adaptive and unique physiologic modifications, with cutaneous changes being possibly the most noticeable. These cutaneous changes are of interest to physicians, since they must be diagnosed as anticipated normal physiologic changes or potentially harmful and managed accordingly. Research has been conducted on physiologically normal and abnormal cutaneous manifestations of pregnancy but is lacking in regard to the persistence of these changes after delivery. This prompts the question as to whether these are normal physiologic changes taking longer to resolve, abnormal changes that may have been previously misdiagnosed, or a separate underlying change that is incorrectly attributed to a common dermatosis caused by pregnancy. Some of the conditions that may persist longer than expected during or after pregnancy, and thus require further workup for an underlying condition, include telogen effluvium, severe hirsutism, palmar erythema, and striae. The objective of this review is to focus on these four common cutaneous physiologic changes of pregnancy, and what to consider when they do not resolve as expected.

Diagnostic Pitfall in Atypical Febrile Presentation in a Patient with a Pregnancy-Specific Dermatosis—Case Report and Literature Review

Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP) usually occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy in primiparous women. It is a self-limiting inflammatory disorder with a still unknown pathogenic mechanism. The abdominal wall overdistension, with a subsequent inflammatory response due to damage to the connective tissue, represents a pathogenesis explanation. Clinical features involve intensely pruritic urticarial rash with edematous, erythematous papules and plaques. The clinical picture and dermal biopsy establish the diagnosis. Topical corticosteroids and oral antihistamines are usually sufficient, but sometimes systemic corticosteroids are necessary. Maternal and fetal prognosis is excellent, and the lesions resolve after birth with no scarring or pigmentary change. We present a case of a 36-year-old patient with a 32-week pregnancy who was admitted with a generalized pruritic rash accompanied by fever. The final diagnosis was decided after multiple pathology exclusions. Treatment consisted of systemic corticoid therapy. The patient gave birth by cesarean section to a healthy newborn without dermatological lesions or other conditions. Adding more PUPPP cases to the literature portfolio will bring more awareness to this under-recognized and under-reported skin disorder. We trust this case will encourage other physicians to publish more cases of pregnancy-specific dermatoses.

Pemphigoid Gestationis - Case Report and Review of Literature

Pemphigoid gestationis (PG) is a rare autoimmune bullous skin disorder which usually presents with intense pruritus and urticarial lesions that may evolve into vesicles and tense blisters. In majority of patients, it starts in the second or third trimester of pregnancy and resolves spontaneously after delivery. Lesions appear in the periumbilical area in 90% of patients and rapidly spread centrifugally to other parts of the body. The diagnosis needs to be confirmed by direct immunofluorescence test (DIF) with indirect immunofluorescence test (IIF), ELISA and immunoblot techniques playing role in diagnosis and/or monitoring antibodies level. Mild symptoms of PG can be treated with topical therapy only, but in severe course of the disease the treatment may be escalated to oral corticosteroids. We present an unusual case of PG started 2 weeks after delivery with an updated overview on the epidemiology, pathology, clinical picture, treatment, and complications of the disease.

A 34-Year-Old Woman with a Diamniotic Dichorionic Twin Pregnancy Presenting with an Erythematous and Papular Skin Rash Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Patient: Female, 34-year-old

Final Diagnosis: COVID-19 • Pregnacy

Symptoms: Earache • fatigue • odynophagia

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: Cesarean

Specialty: Infectious Diseases • Microbiology and Virology • Obstetrics and Gynecology

Lipidomic analysis of facial skin surface lipid reveals the causes of pregnancy-related skin barrier weakness

Self-reported skin discomfort is a common problem during pregnancy, but it is not clear whether skin barrier function is altered in the process. Few studies have described the skin barrier function during pregnancy. In this work, we used highly sensitive and high-resolution ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) to distinguish skin surface lipid (SSL) combined with multivariate analysis of lipids and metabolic changes to determine the relationship between SSL changes and skin physiology during pregnancy in order to better understand the skin condition of pregnant women. The results showed a significant reduction in the total lipid content in pregnant women. A total of 2270 lipids were detected, and the relative abundances of fatty acyls and glycerolipids were significantly reduced, while glycerophospholipids (GPs), sphingolipids, and saccharolipids was significantly increased in the pregnancy group. Multivariate data analysis indicated that 23 entities constituted the most important individual species responsible for the discrimination and phosphatidylcholine was the most abundant lipid in pregnancy group. In addition, compared to SSL profile of control group, it was observed that the average chain length of ceramides and fatty acids both decreased in SSL profile of pregnancy group. The main and most commonly affected pathway was that of GP pathways. These findings indicate that skin lipids are significantly altered in mid-pregnancy compared to the control group. Changes in ostrogen during pregnancy also make the skin more susceptible to inflammatory factors and lead to more fragile and susceptible skin, weakening the skin barrier along with the lipid alterations.

Specific dermatoses of pregnancy other than pemphigoid gestationis

Specific dermatoses of pregnancy are skin disorders that occur specifically during or immediately after pregnancy and cannot be found in non-pregnant patients. According to the current consensus, they include atopic eruption of pregnancy (AEP), polymorphic eruption of pregnancy (PEP), pemphigoid gestationis (PG), and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). The diagnosis of specific dermatoses of pregnancy can be challenging due to their variation in clinical presentation; moreover, the tests currently available do not always provide the clue for the diagnosis. However, some distinctive features may be helpful to differentiate between such entities. Accordingly, the knowledge of specific dermatoses of pregnancy and of their management is critical, since their early recognition may allow to provide care for the mother and prevent potential increased fetal risk. In fact, while AEP and PEP do not affect maternal and fetal prognosis, PG and, mainly, ICP are associated to maternal complications as well as the risk of fetal loss. In this paper, the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features as well as management of AEP and PEP are reviewed in detail, while PG is described in another article of this issue. Moreover, the main features of ICP, which cannot be considered a primarily skin disease but may be managed first by dermatologists, are reported.

Pemphigoid gestationis: current perspectives

Many skin diseases can occur in pregnant women. However, a few pruritic dermatological conditions are unique to pregnancy, including pemphigoid gestationis (PG). As PG is associated with severe morbidity for pregnant women and carries fetal risks, it is important for the clinician to quickly recognize this disease and refer it for dermatological evaluation and treatment. Herein, we review the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, and management of PG.

Physiologic changes of pregnancy: A review of the literature

Throughout pregnancy, the body undergoes a variety of physiologic changes. The cutaneous findings can be most noticeable and often worrisome to both physicians and patients. Obstetricians and dermatologists must be able to differentiate between changes that are benign and those that may be pathologic. Most physicians recognize benign changes that are commonly described in literature such as hyperpigmentation, melasma, striae gravidarum, and telogen effluvium; however, they may be unaware of changes that tend to be less frequently discussed. This comprehensive review provides a broad overview of the physiologic cutaneous changes that occur during pregnancy as described in the literature over the past 10 years.

Diagnosis and management of impetigo

Impetigo, a bacterial skin infection that involves the superficial layers of the skin, is one of the most common skin infections in children ages 2 to 5 but can occur in individuals across the lifespan. This article discusses the diagnosis and management of impetigo in primary care.