In adults, lichen planus (LP) is relatively more common than in children. Among 222 cases of LP, there were 25 (11.2%) children in our study. The majority of the cases were females in the age group of 8-14; the youngest child was 3 years old. Papular and linear types of LP were common in children. There was no familial history of LP in any of the cases. The patients with classic LP lesions responded well to dapsone therapy. This study supports the suggestion of Ramsay and Hurley that childhood LP is more common in the tropics.

There is a paucity of literature on tinea capitis from North India. The response to griseofulvin has not been studied as well. We studied 153 consecutive patients of tinea capitis for clinical patterns, causative dermatophytic species, clinico-etiological correlation, and response to griseofulvin. Culture and sensitivity were done on all patients. All patients were treated with griseofulvin for 6-8 weeks; non-responders were further treated with fluconazole. Ninety percent of the patients were less than 15 years of age, 75% belonged to poor socioeconomic groups and 19% had a family history of tinea capitis. The seborrheic variant was the commonest clinical pattern seen in 47.8% of patients, followed by grey patch, black dot, kerion, and alopecia-areata-like tinea capitis in 35.9%, 8.5%, 6.5% and 1.3% of patients, respectively. Only 66% of patients had a positive culture. T. violaceum was the commonest dermatophytic species isolated in 38% patients. M. audouinii, T. schoenleinii, T. tonsurans, M. gypseum, T. verrucosum and T. mentagrophytes were isolated in 34%, 10%, 9%, 3%, 3% and 3% of patients, respectively. Of the isolates 94% were susceptible to griseofulvin, and 100% were susceptible to fluconazole. By using griseofulvin for 6-8 weeks 97.4% of the patients were cured; nonresponders required therapy with fluconazole for cure. To conclude, tinea capitis is still a disease of younger people of poor socioeconomic status. T. violaceum and M. audouinii are the most common responsible dermatophytes. The response to griseofulvin was excellent, and it should be used as a first line therapy.

A high frequency rate of hereditary ichthyosis (141.89 per 1000) was detected in a 1029 member South Indian study population selected at random from the skin outpatients of a teaching hospital. An age and sex matched control population screened from the medical and pediatric outpatients of the same institute recorded the incidence of ichthyosis vulgaris as 150 per 1000 population which is even higher.

Summary:Blastomycosis-like pyoderma, a rare skin lesion which may clinically resemble true blastomycosis, is seen in immuno-compromised individuals. We report one such case in chronic myeloid leukaemia.