A case of aquagenic urticaria with a brief review of the literature

Aquagenic urticaria, a type of physical urticaria, is quite rare and only about 50 cases have been reported in the medical literature. It was first described by Shelley and Rawnsley in 1964. Wheals occur when a patient’s skin makes contact with any type of water within 30 minutes of exposure, and can last for 30 minutes to 2 hours after cessation of exposure. Aquagenic urticaria most commonly develops on the trunk and upper limbs. It is sometimes associated with pruritus and an uncomfortable prickling or burning sensation. To the best of our knowledge, no case of aquagenic urticaria from Taiwan has been reported. Herein, we present a young Taiwanese male patient diagnosed with aquagenic urticaria.     

Eruptive superficial porokeratosis in a patient with nephrotic syndrome

A 34-year-old female was referred to our department, complaining of multiple asymptomatic lesions that appeared two weeks previously. The patient had active nephritis with nephrotic syndrome and was treated with immunosuppressive therapies. Physical examination revealed multiple well-circumscribed rounds of flat brownish plaques with slightly elevated borders, some of which were covered by scales. The number of lesions was nine in total. Skin biopsy specimens showed dyskeratotic cells in the thinned epidermis with cornoid lamella, and the absence of a granular cell layer. The development of porokeratosis was considered to be related to immunosuppressive therapy or the activity of nephritis.