DDW: Recurrent C. difficile infections take heavy toll on IBD patients

WASHINGTON – Patients with inflammatory bowel disease had a one-third higher risk for having a recurrent Clostridium difficile infection than did the general population, and a 20-fold higher risk for needing a total colectomy because...

Thrombolysis gap for stroke octogenarians disappears

NASHVILLE, TENN. – By 2010, U.S. octogenarians with acute ischemic stroke received intravenous thrombolytic treatment about as often as younger patients, showing that a sharp, age-related disparity in thrombolytic use a decade before had disappeared,...

Careful planning, technique, and counseling can minimize pediatric scarring

It’s a myth that children don’t scar like adults, according to Dr. Jon A. Dyer. In fact, children often scar worse than adults, he said at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar sponsored by Global Academy for...

Consider off-label immunosuppressants for refractory urticaria

KAUAI, HAWAII – Don’t waste your time on “yet another antihistamine” when first- and second-line therapies fail for refractory urticaria. That’s what Dr. Joseph Eastern advised physicians at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar sponsored by...

Mediterranean diet linked with fewer strokes

NASHVILLE, TENN. – A diet that at least partially resembled the Mediterranean diet appeared able to forestall a significant number of strokes in results from a retrospective, epidemiologic study of more than 100,000 Californian women...

Maternal age, cardioseptal defects are major risk factors for peripartum thrombosis

NASHVILLE, TENN. – The risk of a peripartum thrombotic event is rare, but significantly increased for women who have a cardioseptal defect. In a large national sample, the rate of thrombotic events was seven times...

Consider phototherapy for certain psoriasis patients

LAS VEGAS – Psoriasis patients who are unresponsive to topical therapy, do not have psoriatic arthritis, and can make regular office visits may be candidates for successful treatment with phototherapy. A patient with type II...

Psoriasis patients’ QOL improved with calcipotriene/betamethasone

LAS VEGAS – Adults with localized psoriasis reported significant improvement in quality of life after 2 and 8 weeks of treatment with a combination topical suspension, based on data from 147 adults. Calcipotriene 0.005% plus...

New onychomycosis drugs show similar success and side effects

LAS VEGAS – The latest topical therapies for onychomycosis are strong enough to penetrate nail polish, but patients report few side effects. “New topical antifungals have improved the challenge of nail penetration and enhanced the...

Severe diaper rash, cradle cap raise suspicion for pediatric psoriasis

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. – A history of severe cradle cap and diaper dermatitis helps to differentiate between pediatric psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, so be sure to ask, according to Dr. Alan Menter, chief of the...

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