tretinoin and Skin-Diseases--Infectious

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

A 13-month-old child with lamellar ichthyosis and numerous cutaneous and systemic infections died following an abrupt episode of severe hypotension. Postmortem examination revealed white matter vacuolation in the brain stem tegmentum and cerebellar hemispheres similar to that seen in toxicity from hexachlorophene, to which our patient was not exposed. The patient had been treated with many commonly used medications, including 13-cis-retinoic acid, a relatively new drug with apparent therapeutic benefit in hyperkeratotic dermatoses. This had been given systemically during the patient's last week of life. Possible relationships between the white matter lesions and extrinsic toxic agents are discussed.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Bacterial Infections; Brain Stem; Central Nervous System Diseases; Cerebral Ventricles; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Ichthyosis; Infant; Isotretinoin; Mycoses; Myelin Sheath; Skin Diseases, Infectious; Tretinoin; Vacuoles

Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Isomerism; Isotretinoin; Male; Pyoderma; Skin Diseases, Infectious; Tretinoin

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adult; Animals; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Etretinate; Humans; Male; Papillomaviridae; Skin Diseases, Infectious; Skin Neoplasms; Tretinoin; Tumor Virus Infections