Standard and Expanded Series Patch Testing Update by the Spanish Contact Dermatitis and Skin Allergy Research Group (GEIDAC)

After the meeting held by the Spanish Contact Dermatitis and Skin Allergy Research Group (GEIDAC) back in October 2021, changes were suggested to the Spanish standard series patch testing. Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2% pet.), textile dye mixt (6.6% pet.), linalool hydroperoxide (1% pet.), and limonene hydroperoxide (0.3% pet.) were, then, added to the series that agreed upon in 2016. Ethyldiamine and phenoxyethanol were excluded. Methyldibromoglutaronitrile, the mixture of sesquiterpene lactones, and hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene (Lyral) were alo added to the extended Spanish series of 2022.

[Recommendations on the management of urticaria in Primary Care]

Urticaria is a common cause for patient consultations in Primary Care (PC). However, the optimal approach to managing urticaria in PC is controversial and not well-established. For this reason, there is a clear need to clarify the causes of urticaria and to develop treatment protocols to improve urticaria management in the PC setting. The present work has been developed with this objective. A group of experts in PC and dermatology, with specific expertise in treating urticaria, have reviewed the main clinical guidelines and publications on urticaria in order to develop clear, interdisciplinary recommendations on managing urticaria. In this article, consensus-based recommendations are presented that include simple, practical diagnostic, and treatment algorithms. These guidelines will help to optimise the management of patients with urticaria, increasing their quality of life and reducing the socioeconomic costs associated with this illness.

Can atopic dermatitis be prevented?

Atopic dermatitis has become a health problem in our setting due to its rising prevalence, impact on quality of life, associated costs, and role in the progression to other atopic diseases. Furthermore, atopic dermatitis has no definitive cure and therefore preventive measures are important. In this article, we review the latest advances in both primary prevention (reduction of the incidence of atopic dermatitis) and secondary prevention (reduction of associated morbidity and reduction of the atopic march). We analyze the different preventive strategies available, including modification of the immune system through microbial exposure, induction of immune tolerance through antigen exposure, and restoration of skin barrier function to halt the atopic march. Dermatologists need to be familiar with these strategies in order to apply them where necessary and to accurately inform patients and their relatives to prevent misguided or inappropriate actions.

[Splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma with epidermotropic skin involvement]

Marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (MZL) is subclassified into extranodal MZL of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (including cutaneous lymphomas), splenic MZL, and nodal MZL. We report the case of a 68-year-old man with erythematous-violaceous plaques and nodules. Skin biopsy showed an epidermotropic lymphocytic infiltration and cytology and immunohistochemistry were consistent with MZL. The workup revealed disease in the peripheral blood and bone marrow and massive splenomegaly. Splenectomy confirmed the diagnosis of splenic MZL and led to resolution of the skin lesions. Cutaneous recurrence was treated successfully with chemotherapy and rituximab but caused fatal hepatitis due to hepatitis B virus reactivation. Skin involvement by splenic MZL is uncommon; this form of the disease can present epidermotropism, a very rare finding in primary cutaneous MZL. Treatment consists of splenectomy, which may be associated with chemotherapy and/or rituximab; this treatment may lead to reactivation of latent hepatitis B infection and screening for hepatitis should therefore be performed prior to starting therapy.

[Allergic contact dermatitis from lidocaine in ear drops]

Lidocaine is one of the most widely used local anesthetics. It can be administered topically or parenterally. Allergic contact dermatitis from lidocaine is uncommon, but an increasing number of cases have been reported in recent years. We present the case of a 66-year-old man who presented with acute dermatitis on the pinna and left cheek after applying ear drops. Patch tests were positive for the product itself and for lidocaine in the ear drops, thereby confirming the diagnosis of contact dermatitis from lidocaine.

[Cutaneous adverse reaction to Bio-Alcamid implant]

In the last years new and numerous materials for the correction of defects and wrinkles have been developed. One of these materials is Bio-Alcamid, a non reabsorbable gel polymer constituted by meshes of poly-alkyl-imide, without known adverse effects. We report a 34-year-old woman that had Bio-Alcamid implants for acne scars and several months after presented nodular lesions together with a painful inflammatory nodule. The nodule was drained and culture of the purulent material yielded Streptococcus viridans. A cytology and a cellular block of that material showed a granulomatous inflammatory reaction together with a foreign body. The different types of reactions to implants and their pathogenic mechanism are discussed. It is important to know these possible reactions to filler materials given their increasing use and the potential medico-legal consequences.