What is the largest organ in the body?
Skin
10% of body mass of average person
Hair Cycle:
What is the anagen stage?
Active growing phase
80-90% of hair
Hair Cycle:
What is the Catagen stage?
2-3 week phase growth stops/follicle shrinks
1-3% of hair
Hair cycle:
What is the Telogen stage?
Resting phase for 1-4 months
up to 10% of hairs in a normal scalp
What are the functions of the Skin?
What is skin disease important? (5Ds)
Disfigurement Discomfort Disability Depression Death
What are the 2 different causes of skin disease?
What are the external causes?
What are the internal causes?
How we describe skin lesions: 1. What is a small circumscribed area?
Describing skin lesions:
When would someone present with eruptive xanthoma?
When hyperlipidaemia is present
When would someone present with Acanthuses nigricans?
Insulin resistance
Obesity
Malignancy
(Hyperkeratosis and hyper pigmentation papules - velvety appearance)
What is thyroid skin disease?
Pretibial myxoedema
5% of graves disease
Skin chunks filled with mucinosis
What investigations are carried out if bacterial infection is suspected?
Charcoal swab
MC&S - microscopy, culture and sensitivities
What investigations are carried out if viral infection is suspected?
Viral swab for PCR
Can swab vesicle/bulla if vesicular eruption
If systemic illness, can take throat swab
What investigations are carried out if fungal infection is suspected?
Skin scraping Nail clipping Hair sample Fungal cultures (skin biopsy used for all)
What happens when the technical barrier to infection fails in the skin?
Sepsis
What happens when there is failure in temperature regulation of the skin?
Hypo and hyper thermia
What happens when the fluid and electrolyte balance of the skin fails?
Protein and fluid loss
Renal impairment
Peripheral vasodilation
2. What causes it?
What drug is known to cause “red man syndrome”
Vancomycin
What is the management plan for Erythroderma?
How common are drug reactions?
Common - 5% inpatients