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Differential diagnostics of syphilitic alopecia and alopecia areata: The clinical picture and trichoscopic signs
- Authors: Mareeva A.N.1, Katunin G.L.1, Rubtsov A.B.1
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Affiliations:
- State Research Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology, Ministr y of Health of the Russian Federation
- Issue: Vol 95, No 3 (2019)
- Pages: 34-39
- Section: CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES
- URL: https://vestnikdv.ru/jour/article/view/496
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.25208/0042-4609-2019-95-3-34-39
- ID: 496
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Abstract
This paper describes a clinical case of secondary syphilis, which was manifested exclusively by syphilitic alopecia.
We describe the details of the clinical picture, as well as a differential diagnosis of syphilitic alopecia and alopecia areata on the basis of trichoscopy data.
For a patient with scalp lesions typical of syphilis (focal form of alopecia), the trichoscopic picture was represented by hairs broken at different heights from 1 to 5 mm, “empty” follicles (“yellow” dots), anisotrichosis due to the loss of terminal hair. The eyebrow trichoscopy showed “yellow dots”, vellus hairs, hair thinning due to the loss of bristly hair. A comparison of the trichoscopic pictures for alopecia areata and syphilitic areata have revealed the absence in the latter of a number of signs typical of the former, such as pencil-point, ex clamation-point, zigzag, monilethrix and tulip hairs.
Patients with a clinical picture of focal, diffuse or mix ed alopecia should be tested for syphilis using serological methods.
Keywords
About the authors
A. N. Mareeva
State Research Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology, Ministr y of Health of the Russian Federation
Author for correspondence.
Email: nastasya_66@mail.ru
Anastasia N. Mareeva* — Cand. Sci. (Med.), Dermatovenerologist, Consultative Diagnostic Centre
tel.: +7 (903) 586-27-79
Russian FederationG. L. Katunin
State Research Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology, Ministr y of Health of the Russian Federation
Email: fake@neicon.ru
Georgy L. Katunin — Cand. Sci. (Med.), Dermatovenerologist, Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Russian Federation
A. B. Rubtsov
State Research Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology, Ministr y of Health of the Russian Federation
Email: fake@neicon.ru
Anton B. Rubtsov — Research Assistant, Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections Russian Federation
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СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).