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This guideline is an update from August 2020 the S2k-guideline "Atopic dermatitis" published in 2015. The reason for updating this chapter of the guideline were the current developments in the field of systemic therapy of atopic dermatitis. The agreed recommendations for systemic treatment in atopic dermatitis of the present guideline are based on current scientific data. Due to the approval of dupilumab for the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, which cannot be treated sufficiently with topical drugs alone, this part of the guideline has now been adapted and newly consented. The indication for systemic therapy and the therapeutic response to topical and systemic treatment should be recorded and documented in a suitable form in clinic and practice. A standardized documentation of the indication for system therapy in atopic dermatitis can be recommended and is also part of the updated chapter of this guideline., (© 2021 The Authors | Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag GmbH, Berlin.)

Atopic dermatitis (AD) represents a pruritic, non-contagious, chronic or chronically relapsing, inflammatory skin disease. The course of the disease may be complicated by bacterial or viral superinfections. The first manifestation of the disease and further flare-ups are due to genetic predisposition and also to a variety of further trigger factors. The therapy regimen should be adapted to disease symptoms that are actually present and consider individual features of the disease as reported by the patients or their parents. This short version of the German guideline on AD provides an overview of evidence-based diagnostic and treatment options. All recommendations made here are the result of a consensus of the scientific medical societies, working groups and support groups based on scientific data published to date. Abstracts and details of the studies cited are provided in the long version of this guideline (see: www.awmf.org)., (© 2015 The Authors | Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag GmbH, Berlin.)

Urticaria is a very common skin disease which was already described in the ancient world. Questions still remain about its pathogenesis and management remain open. Compared to other common skin diseases, the published evidence is rather low. The clinical symptoms with pruritic transient wheals and/or angioedema are caused by mediators (particularly histamine) released by activated mast cells and basophils. The mechanism of target cell activation has not been clarified in detail for most urticaria subtypes. Different urticaria subtypes should be distinguished. Spontaneous forms are more common than inducible forms. Chronic urticaria and urticaria in certain age groups (children, pregnancy) can be difficult to manage. Therefore, international consensus resulting in the regular update of urticaria guidelines can be very helpful. Currently, these updated guidelines include a three-step treatment algorithm for chronic spontaneous urticaria. Only the first step of this algorithm, second generation H1-antihistamine in standard dose, utilized approved drugs. However after omalizumab was established as a third line choice in the guideline algorithm, it has approved in many countries for chronic spontaneous urticaria without response to H1-antihistamines. The exact mechanism of action of omalizumab in urticaria has not been fully elucidated. Unrevealing this mechanism might result in a deeper understanding of urticaria pathogenesis and the development of further therapeutic strategies., (© 2014 Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft (DDG). Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Organ transplant recipients are prone to the development of non-melanoma skin cancer. Organ transplant recipients often develop multiple non-melanoma skin cancers and the tumors show an aggressive growth pattern, therefore surgical therapy can be difficult. Switch of the immunosuppressive regimen to mTOR-inhibitors such as everolimus or sirolimus can have an antitumor effect., Patients and Methods: In a monocentric retrospective study we evaluated organ transplant recipients who presented with non-melanoma skin cancer in the years 2008-2010. Experience with patients who were switched to an mTOR-inhibitor due to non-melanoma skin cancer are reported in detail, and recent clinical studies are reviewed., Results: 60 organ transplant recipients with non-melanoma skin cancer were evaluated. Due to the development of multiple non-melanoma skin cancer within a few years, the immunosuppressive regimen was switched to everolimus in 7 patients and to sirolimus in 5 patients. Eight patients were evaluable for the effect of mTOR-inhibitors on the development of non-melanoma skin cancer; 4 patients had to discontinue the medication with mTOR-inhibitors early due to various side effects. In the year before the switch to mTOR-inhibitors, 8 patients developed 16 squamous cell carcinomas, 3 Basal cell carcinomas and 22 cases of Bowen's disease. All tumors were histologically confirmed. In the year after switch of immunosuppression, the rate of squamous cell carcinomas (n = 2) and Bowen's disease (n = 3), but not of basal cell carcinomas (n = 2) was significantly reduced. Moreover, 5 prospective randomized trials recently have demonstrated a reduced number of non-melanoma skin cancers in organ transplant recipients after switch of the immunosuppressive regimen to mTOR-inhibitors., Conclusion: Switch of the immunosuppressive regimen to mTOR-inhibitors should be considered for organ transplant recipients suffering from multiple non-melanoma skin cancers., (© 2014 Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft (DDG). Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: No consistent data are available on the currently employed diagnostic tools for autoimmune bullous diseases in Germany. The aim of this survey was to describe currently performed diagnostic methods for bullous autoimmune diseases in German dermatology departments., Methods: A standardized questionnaire evaluated the available diagnostic methods i. e. direct immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM), indirect IFM, commercial ELISA systems, and non-commercial serological tests as well as the number of samples per year in all 34 university and 39 non-university dermatology departments., Results: The overall return rate was 89 %, 100 % and 79 % for the university and non-university departments, respectively. Direct IFM was the most frequently used method and was applied in 98 % of the responding departments. In 74 % of the responding departments, indirect IFM was used mainly on monkey esophagus and human salt-split skin. Commercial ELISA systems were employed in 58 % of the clinics; all of them used anti-desmoglein ELISA, while anti-BP180 and anti-BP230 ELISA were established in 49 % and 48 % of departments, respectively. Non-commercial analytic methods were only performed in 22 % of the departments., Conclusions: The high return rate of this survey allows a relatively precise description of the current diagnostic methods used in German dermatology departments. Standard diagnostic tests are available nationwide and in bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus, the antigen-specific detection of autoantibodies is routinely performed in half of the departments. Rare disorders may be diagnosed by cooperation with some specialized centers., (© The Authors • Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag GmbH, Berlin.)

The oral mucosa is constantly exposed to a large number of potentially irritating and sensitizing dental materials. Dental materials used for fillings and fixed or removable replacements must have a good biocompatibility. Metals including palladium are used in alloys for the production of the core of crowns, onto which porcelain is bonded for the generation of an artificial tooth to which the patient can develop an allergic contact dermatitis. The clinical manifestations of contact allergy to dental materials are not uniform. Objective symptoms of a contact allergy include a stomatitis and lichenoid reactions. However, patients may present with more subjective affections of the oral mucosa including burning, pain and dryness which need to be differentiated from a real contact allergic reaction. In this article we focus on the management of contact allergy to dental materials., (© The Authors • Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag GmbH, Berlin.)

Retinoids and vitamin A derivatives have been widely used topically and systemically in the treatment of hyper- and parakeratotic skin diseases, genodermatoses, severe acne, autoimmune diseases (i. e. lupus erythematosus) or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma for more than 30 years. In addition to the desired proliferation-inhibiting, differentiation-inducing and antiinflammatory or sebo-suppressive effects, vitamin A derivatives also affect lipid metabolism. This is shown primarily by an increase of transaminases, triglycerides or cholesterol levels which vary in intensity from patient to patient. The degree of impact on the different parameters of lipid metabolism depends on the nature of the vitamin A derivative on the one hand due to different receptor specific binding interactions (RAR/RXR), while on the other hand posttranslational processes also play a major role. This review paper gives a brief, concise overview of the vitamin A derivatives and possible effects on lipid metabolism that can be expected. Additionally it contains a recommendation for secure handling of abnormal laboratory values before, during and after oral therapy with vitamin A derivatives. The aim of this article is to provide practical help and confidence in dealing with vitamin A derivatives in daily clinical practice. The publication was created in cooperation with the Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft (DDG) and Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Bekämpfung von Fettstoffwechselstörungen und ihren Folgeerkrankungen (DGFF [Lipid-Liga] e. V.)., (© The Authors • Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag GmbH, Berlin.)

The hand-foot-syndrome (HFS, palmoplantar erythrodysesthesia, chemotherapy-associated acral erythema) is characterized by painful predominantly palmo-plantar lesions. The association with different chemotherapeutic agents has been known for over 20 years. More recently, HFS has been reported in association with regimens using targeted agents, in particular the multikinase inhibitors (MKI) sorafenib and sunitinib. The HFS associated with MKI has a different distribution and clinical appearance than the traditional disorder. In this review, similarities and differences between chemotherapy- and MKI-associated HFS are discussed and current recommendations for their prophylaxis and management are summarized.

Background: The value of the status of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in patients with thick melanomas (Breslow thickness > or = 4 mm) is controversial., Patients and Methods: Using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox regression models, we studied 152 patients with primary melanomas > or = 4 mm thickness who underwent sentinel lymph node excision (SLNE) at the university hospitals of Hannover and Göttingen, Germany, between 1998 and 2006., Results: The median tumor thickness was 5.2 (4-18) mm; 58.5% of primary melanomas were ulcerated. Micrometastasis to a SLN was found in 48.7%. The patients with positive SLNs were significantly younger than those with negative SLN (p = 0.01). Of the complete lymph node dissections, 32% contained positive non-SLN. The estimated 5 year recurrence-free survival was 42.5 +/- 5% (+/- standard error) (26.3 +/- 6.6% after positive SLNE, 58.7 +/- 7.1% after negative SLNE). The 5 year overall survival rate was 53.2 +/- 5.4% (37.5 +/- 8.1% after positive SLNE, 67.6 +/- 6.7% after negative SLNE). By multivariate analysis, the SLN was a highly significant predictor for overall survival (p = 0.007, relative risk 2.3, 95%, confidence interval 1.2-4.2). The overall survival was significantly associated with penetration of nodal metastases into the SLN > 0.3 mm (p = 0.001). Other parameters such as tumor thickness, ulceration, age and sex were not significant. In the subgroup of patients with negative SLN, neither tumor thickness nor ulceration was significant., Conclusions: The status of the SLN represents the most important prognostic parameter in patients with thick melanomas, whereas other parameters such as tumor thickness and ulceration loose their prognostic value.

Erythropoietin has been successfully used in Europe since 1997 in the treatment of anemia induced by chemotherapy of solid tumors. There is only limited experience with regard to its use when treating dermatologic tumors such as metastatic melanoma. We review here current guidelines on the use of erythropoietin in cancer patients and report on our own melanoma patients treated with erythropoietin for chemotherapy-induced anemia.