Pınar Ozdemir Cetinkaya

Evaluation of Quality of Life, Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Alopecia Areata: A Prospective Case-Control Study - Cyprus Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical and demographic characteristics, histopathological findings, and treatment responses of patients with pityriasis lichenoides. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the differences between pediatric and adult patients. Material and Method: The data of 47 patients with pityriasis lichenoides, followed up at the Dermatology Clinic of Ankara Training and Research Hospital between 01.08.2004 and 01.08.2024, were retrospectively analysed. The patients were classified as pityriasis lichenoides chronica and pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta. Clinical, demographic, and histopathological characteristics, as well as treatment responses, were evaluated. The patients were divided into pediatric (18 years) groups for comparison. In statistical analyses, a p-value of

Aim: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that clinically presents with recurrent inflamed follicular lesions, nodules, abscesses, and, in later stages, draining sinus tracts and scars in intertriginous areas. Due to the chronic, recurrent course of the disease, painful, malodorous lesions, fistula/ scar formation, and accompanying comorbidities, HS significantly reduces the quality of life and is associated with psychological impairment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the general characteristics of patients with HS and the factors influencing their disease severity and psychosocial status. Materials & Methods: This retrospective descriptive study analyzed the medical records of 30 patients with HS. Sociodemographic data, general characteristics of the patients, clinical features of HS, and laboratory findings were noted. The patients were asked to fill out Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS) and Dermatology Life Quality Index. Results: Of 30 patients with HS, 16 (53.3%) were females, and 14 (46.7%) were males, with a mean age of 36.86 ± 12.62 years. According to the Hurley staging system, 26.7% of the patients had stage I, 60% had stage II, and 13.3% had stage III disease. The patients with perineal/scrotal and perianal involvement had a statistically significantly increased disease severity according to the Hurley staging system. A statistically significant relationship was found between the disease severity according to the Hurley staging system and the median CRP levels. CRP levels in the patients with Hurley stage III disease were significantly higher than those with Hurley stage I disease. The mean HADS-A and HADS-D scores in the patients with inguinal involvement were significantly higher than those without inguinal involvement. Also, the mean HADS-D scores of the patients with perianal involvement were significantly higher than those without perianal involvement. Conclusion: This study shows that the patients with perineal/scrotal and perianal involvement had significantly increased disease severity. Moreover, the patients with inguinal and perianal involvement had significantly higher anxiety and depression scores. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of depression and anxiety in patients with HS. Keywords: anxiety, depression, HADS, hidradenitis suppurativa, laboratory

Vitiligo is a generally asymptomatic acquired depigmentation disorder, limiting the utility of general dermatology quality of life (QoL) scales that may not adequately reflect the psychosocial burden experienced by patients. The aim of our study was to translate the vitiligo-specific quality-of-life instrument (VitiQoL) with maximum score of 90, into Turkish language, and to culturally adapt and validate it for use in the Turkish population. The VitiQoL was initially cross‑culturally adapted to Turkish through forward‑backward translation. The Turkish version of the VitiQoL together with the dermatology life quality index (DLQI) and the Skindex‑16 scale were applied to Turkish vitiligo patients. A total of 148 consecutive volunteer vitiligo patients were included in the study. The internal consistency of the Turkish version of the VitiQoL was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.915). Since the Turkish version of the VitiQoL item 13 had a corrected item-total correlation lower than 0.3 (0.264), it was removed from the survey. VitiQoL-TR includes 14 items, with the removal of item 13 (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.922). Exploratory factor analyses revealed two distinct factors within the VitiQoL scale: participation limitation and stigma. Forty-six (31.08%) of the participants completed the VitiQoL-TR twice, 10–14 days apart. The test and retest scores of the VitiQoL-TR had a strong significant correlation (r = 0.883; p < 0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.939. There was a strong significant correlation between the VitiQoL-TR score and the Skindex-16 score (r = 0.848; p < 0.001), and a moderate significant correlation with the DLQI score (r = 0.696; p < 0.001) thus confirming the convergent validity. In conclusion, the maximum value of the scale is 84 instead of 90. This should be taken into consideration when conducting international studies and comparing international data. The VitiQoL-TR is a valid and reliable health-related QoL tool for assessing the QoL of Turkish vitiligo patients.

The Medical Bulletin of Sisli Etfal Hospital

The Medical Bulletin of Sisli Etfal Hospital

Aim: The loss of smell is a common disease and can affect a patient’s quality of life. Olfactory disturbance leads to problems such as safety and eating. Acne vulgaris is a prevalent disease in the daily clinical practice of a dermatologist. Doxycycline and isotretinoin are the most preferred systemic drugs for severe acne. This study aimed to investigate the possible effects on olfactory function in patients with acne vulgaris receiving isotretinoin and doxycycline therapy by using the Brief Smell Identification Test. Material and Method: A total of 60 patients with acne vulgaris were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups, each consisting of 30 patients. One group received oral doxycycline, while the other received oral isotretinoin. The olfactory function of each patient in both groups was assessed at the beginning and third month of treatment by using the Brief Smell Identification Test. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the total scores of the Brief Smell Identification Test at 0. and 3. months in both the isotretinoin group and the doxycycline group. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that both drugs are safe and have no undesirable effect on olfactory function. However, the certain effects of both drugs on olfactory functions still remain unknown. New studies are needed to shed light on this issue.

Ingrown toenails (IGTN) are a prevalent, debilitating nail disorder that occurs when the edge of the nail plate grows abnormally to penetrate the periungual dermis. Multiple risk factors have been identified in the etiology. In this study, we aimed to investigate the risk factors that predispose patients to IGTN. This prospective, case-control study consisted of 130 patients with IGTN and 130 age- and sex-matched controls. The sociodemographic data, clinical features, and predisposing factors were questioned. Multivariate logistic regression (Enter and Forward: LR) analysis was applied to determine the risk factors related to IGTN. The IGTN group comprised 63 (48.5%) females and 67 (51.5%) males with a median age of 31 (IQR = 28.25) years. The most common type of IGTN in the study group was distal-lateral ingrowing in 115 (88.5%) patients. The median duration of IGTN was 5.5 (IQR = 10) months. In the multivariate regression analyses, the presence of improper nail trimming (OR: 7.063; 95% CI: 3.604–13.843), presence of hyperhidrosis (OR: 2.648; 95% CI: 1.198–5.853), poor foot hygiene (OR: 4.873; 95% CI: 2.271–10.456), presence of foot/toe deformity (OR: 5.413; 95% CI: 1.508–19.427), presence of increased curvature of the nails (OR: 2.588; 95% CI: 1.024–6.543), presence of onychomycosis (OR: 3.506; 95% CI: 1.267–9.705), increase in BMI (OR: 1.126; 95% CI: 1.038–1.221) were found to be the predisposing factors that increased the risk of IGTN. Improper nail trimming, hyperhidrosis, poor foot hygiene, onychomycosis, increased curvature of the nails, foot/toe deformity and increase in BMI were found to contribute significantly to the etiopathogenesis of the disease. Considering that most of these risk factors were modifiable, informing the public about risk factors will reduce the frequency of IGTN, and modifying risk factors in patients will enable rapid control of the disease and reduce recurrences.