Celiac Disease and Skin Disorders

Abstract

and modulation of cytokine production (3). These effects may explain the efficacy of vitamin D3 derivatives for treating warts. However, because of the fact that occlusive dressing was used in the previous report (2), and simple occlusion has also proved effective in the treatment of viral warts (4), the results could be disputable. In our patient, although occlusion was not used and a placebo effect seems improbable given the size and long evolution of the plaque, it cannot be completely ruled out. To sum up, this is the first report showing that simple application of vitamin D3 derivatives could be effective in the treatment of viral warts and, given the high prevalence of this condition and considering that the available treatments are often painful and poorly effective, we would encourage the performance of placebo-controlled studies. REFERENCES1. Hayashi J, Matsui C, Mitsuishi T, et al. Treatment of localized epidermodysplasia verruciformis with tacalcitol ointment. Int J Dermatol 2002;41:817-820. 2. Egawa K, Ono T. Topical vitamin D3 derivatives for recalcitrant warts in three immunocompromised patients. Br J Dermatol 2004;150:374 -376. 3. Osborne JE, Hutchinson PE. Vitamin D and systemic cancer: is this relevant to malignant melanoma? Br J Dermatol 2002;147:197-213. 4. Focht DR 3rd, Spicer C, Fairchok MP. The efficacy of duct tape vs. cryotherapy in the treatment of verruca vulgaris (the common wart). Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002;156:971-974.

Recurrent Fever and Failure to Thrive in an 11-Year-Old Boy

“…CD is a life-long systemic immune disorder in genetically susceptible individuals triggered by exposure to gluten and its related prolamins contained in wheat, barley, oat, and rye. The classical clinical presentation comprises diarrhea, abdominal pain, and distension, growth retardation, and numerous extraintestinal, often dermatological manifestations [6, 7]. The enigmatic clinical presentation of CD is well known [8, 9, 10], but fever as the isolated clinical symptom is rare and has been described only in a few pediatric cases associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which responded well to a gluten-free diet [11, 12].…”