Vitiligo is an acquired pigmentry disorder of the skin and mucous membranes which manifests as white macules and patches due to selective loss of melanocytes. Etiological hypotheses of vitiligo include genetic, immunological, neurohormonal, cytotoxic, biochemical, oxidative stress and newer theories of melanocytorrhagy and decreased melanocytes survival. There are several types of vitiligo which are usually diagnosed clinically and by using a Wood's lamp; also vitiligo may be associated with autoimmune diseases, audiological and ophthalmological findings or it can be a part of polyendocrinopathy syndromes. Several interventions are available for the treatment for vitiligo to stop disease progression and/or to attain repigmentation or even depigmentation. In this article, we will present an overall view of current standing of vitiligo research work especially in the etiological factors most notably the genetic components, also, types and associations and various and newer treatment modalities.

Scleromyxedema (SM) is a sclerotic variant of lichen or papular mucinosis in which lichenoid papules and scleroderma-like features are both present. It is a rare deposition disorder characterized by generalized papular and sclerodermoid eruptions, mucin deposition, increased fibroblast proliferation, fibrosis, and monoclonal gammopathy (also known as paraproteinemia) mainly of the immunoglobulin G-lambda type in the absence of thyroid disease. It usually affects middle-aged adults and shows no gender or racial predilection. In addition to the skin findings and paraproteinemia, patients with SM have variable multisystem affections that mimic systemic sclerosis; the systems which are commonly involved include the gastrointestinal tract, musculoskeletal, pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, and central nervous systems, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Prominent symptoms include dysphagia, proximal muscle weakness, and dyspnea on exertion; less common but important findings include central nervous system involvement in the form of encephalopathy, convulsions, coma, and psychosis.

Anetoderma is a rare elastolytic disorder characterized by circumscribed areas of flaccid skin due to the loss of elastic tissue in the dermis. Primary anetoderma is frequently observed in patients with autoimmune diseases or abnormalities especially with antiphospholipid antibodies with or without antiphospholipid syndrome. In this case report we discuss a patient with primary anetoderma with positive antithyroid peroxidase antibodies, which is consistent with autoimmune thyroiditis.

Correlation between quality of life and disease severity in children with atopic dermatitis in the state of Qatar Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an itchy, chronic or chronically relapsing, inflammatory skin condition which is most prevalent in childhood. It is known to affect 10-20% of children. The prevalence of AD has increased during the past 3 decades and is probably due to modification of lifestyles and environment. Atopic dermatitis (AD) can affect the behavior, life and development of children. Little is known regarding the effect of AD on the quality of life (QoL) in children of the Gulf region and especially in the state of Qatar. Objectives: To study the impact of AD on the QoL in children and its relation to disease severity in the state of Qatar. Methods: This study was conducted on 45 patients with atopic dermatitis aged from 5 to 16 years who attended the outpatient clinic of the Dermatology Department, Rummilah and Al Khor Hospitals, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. The UK diagnostic criteria of AD were used for the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis. Disease severity was assessed using modified SCORAD (SCORing Atopic Dermatitis) measuring only objective criteria .The Children Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) was used to quantify the impact of AD on children's quality of life. SPSS 14.0 statistical package has been used for the analysis. Correlation coefficient (Pearson) was calculated to see associations between variables. Results: There were a positive significant correlation between objective SCORAD and each question from 1 to 10 as well as the total score of CDLQI except for question 2, the strongest relation between objective SCORAD and CDLQI was found in question 1 (symptoms) and question 9 (sleep). It was statistically evident that as the SCORAD index increases the CDLQI increases. Conclusion: The study has shown adverse effects of AD on children QoL especially on symptoms and feelings and a positive correlation between CDLQI and modified SCORAD which denote the effect of AD on the lives and development of children. We recommend the use of CDLQI in research work as an additional subjective measure to the clinical objective scoring tools used in chronic skin diseases. Health economists and caregivers should put the impact of skin diseases (non-life threatening diseases) on the QoL of patients, especially children and its implications for psychology, development, social functioning and school outcome.

The term granuloma annulare (GA) appropriately describes the classic type characterized by ringed erythematous plaques with histological palisaded granulomatous inflammation. However, GA now includes a range of disease. Over time, more atypical, rare types have been reported in isolated case reports or small case series. Here, we describe a unique case of generalized GA presented by two morphologically different lesions in a 52 years old diabetic man. To the best of our knowledge, this association has never been reported in the literature.