isotretinoin and Hypergammaglobulinemia

A patient with hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome is described. Recurrent cutaneous staphylococcal abscesses were a prominent feature and had been resistant to treatment with antibiotics and surgical drainage. Following a 4-month course of treatment with isotretinoin, he developed no further abscesses over a 6-month follow-up period. Detailed immunological investigations were undertaken before and after treatment and no change was found to account for his improvement. We consider that the beneficial effects of isotretinoin in this situation are likely to be due to a reduction in sebaceous gland size and activity, rather than to any effect on the underlying disorder.

Topics: Abscess; Adolescent; Humans; Hypergammaglobulinemia; Immunoglobulin E; Isotretinoin; Male; Skin Diseases, Infectious; Staphylococcal Infections; Tretinoin

Scleromyxedema is a rare type of papular mucinosis that exhibits a generalized lichenoid pattern. A wide variety of clinical manifestations can occur in patients with this disease. Cutaneous involvement is characteristic, but neurologic, cardiovascular, renal, neoplastic, and other systemic manifestations have been described. A monoclonal gammopathy may be present. Many treatment modalities have been used in the past for scleromyxedema. None, however, have shown consistently favorable results. This report concerns the cases of three patients with scleromyxedema who were treated with isotretinoin.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Biopsy; Female; Humans; Hypergammaglobulinemia; Immunoglobulin G; Isotretinoin; Male; Mucins; Nervous System Diseases; Prednisone; Skin Diseases