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A 63-year-old woman was referred to the Department of Dermatology of the Complejo Hospitalario de Granada, Granada, Spain, in 2016 with painful erythematous desquamative nodules and papules of three weeks' duration. She had a history of stage I infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast, unilinear myelodysplastic syndrome with granulocytic involvement, chronic neutropaenia and a diagnosis of T cell (cluster of differentiation [CD]8 + ) large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukaemia. Upon examination, the papules were distributed mainly on the forehead and right upper and lower limbs . Some of the lesions were fluctuating and suppurative, while the others were of a solid consistency. The examination also revealed oral aphthae which were causing dysphagia [ Figure 1D]. At referral, the patient was receiving treatment with 50 mg of low-dose cyclosporine on alternate days and 300 μg of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor per week, to which a partial response was noted.Given the suspicion of leukaemia cutis, a biopsy of the lesions was taken. The findings were compatible with a diagnosis of folliculitis, with polymerase chain reaction and direct immunofluorescence tests negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA, IgM and complement 3 deposits, respectively. Consequently, treatment with 500 mg of cloxacillin every six hours and 15 mg of prednisone per day was initiated; however, there was no evidence of clinical improvement. Successive biopsies indicated systemic vasculitis caused by granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Eventually, nine months after the onset of the symptoms, a final biopsy revealed that the papules represented the cutaneous infiltration of LGL leukaemia [ Figure 2], associated with secondary interstitial granulomatous dermatitis. At the time of writing, the patient was being treated with combined cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin and prednisone (CHOP) therapy which resulted in the resolution of her cutaneous symptoms [ Figure 3]. There was no evidence on computed tomography of any systemic progression to other organs.LGL leukaemia is a low-grade lymphoproliferative disorder characterised by monoclonal expansion in the peripheral blood and bone marrow with either an activated cytotoxic T lymphocyte (i.e. CD8 or CD57 + cells) or, less frequently, a natural killer (CD3 -, CD8 -or CD56 + cells) phenotype. 1 Generally, LGLs represent 10-15% of circulating mononuclear cells and are identified morphologically by their large size and rounded or dentate nuclei and abundant cytoplasm with azurophilic granules.2 Clonality has been confirmed by T cell receptor gene letter to the editor Sultan Qaboos University Med J, November 2017, Vol. 17, Iss. 4, pp. e489-490,

The mini-pulse oral corticosteroids treatment for alopecia areata (AA) is an accessible treatment whose efficacy and adverse effects have not yet been properly described. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of the mini-pulse oral corticosteroids treatment in patients with AA, and to explore potential factors associated to the response in a real-world setting. An observational study of a prospective cohort to assess the effectiveness and safety of a mini-pulse dexamethasone treatment in patients with AA, who failed to improve with topical therapies, was performed. A SALT II score and other clinical and safety variables were recorded at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. An overall significant and progressive decrease of the SALT score was found during treatment: SALT-50 response was achieved after 9 months in 51.8% of the patients. Hypothyroidism and early age of onset were predictors of the lack of response to treatment. The treatment combination with oral minoxidil showed no effect on the SALT score reduction. Dexamethasone daily and cumulative dose were associated with a higher percentage of side effects. To conclude, the mini-pulse oral corticosteroids treatment is an effective treatment for AA, although patients with an early onset of the disease and hypothyroidism may not benefit.

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Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic autoinflammatory skin disease that primarily affects hair follicles. 1 Up to date, its pathogenesis remains unclear. Drug-induced cases of HS have been described with some treatments such as rituximab, lithium, and vemurafenib. 2 Skin