Background Benign cutaneous lesions, so‐called cysts, are frequently seen in clinics and might evoke cosmetic and psychosocial concerns. Aim This study aimed to demonstrate the clinicopathologic findings of these lesions and also the importance of histological evaluation for prevention of misdiagnosing a benign‐appearing malignant lesion. Methods A descriptive study was conducted of 2,438 cases who had a diagnosis of cyst confirmed with pathology. The data of patients over the 6‐year period between 2011 and 2017, including gender, age, location, prevalence, complications, and microscopic evaluation, were gathered. Results From a total of 2,438 records with a clinical diagnosis of mucocutaneous cyst, 2077 had the pathologic diagnosis of cysts. They consisted of 910 women (43.8%) and 1167 men (56.1%) with a mean age of 42. The most common mucocutaneous cysts were epidermal cyst 994 (47.8%) followed by trichilemmal cyst 495 (23.8%). In 479 (19.6%) records, the clinical diagnosis was not congruent with histopathological diagnosis including 45 malignant cases. Basal cell carcinoma in 22 (48.9%) was the most common one. Conclusions This study reports on clinical characteristics of cutaneous cysts and the need for a decent diagnostic investigation, like histopathology, for achieving a reliable diagnosis regarding the benign mimicking malignant lesions, especially high risk ones.

The ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic has raised concerns regarding the outcome of this infection in patients with autoimmune bullous dermatoses (AIBDs) due to effect of drugs used to treat these disorders. This investigation was performed from the onset of the pandemic to June 1, 2021. Patients with AIBDs who contracted COVID‐19 were evaluated. A generalized linear model was employed to find the predictors of severe COVID‐19 among patients with AIBDs. Ninety‐three patients with AIBDs with a mean age of 50.3 years were evaluated. The most COVID‐19 related symptoms were tiredness (76.3%) myalgia (69%), and cough (63.4%). During follow‐up, the rate of hospitalization and death were 45.2% and 4.3%, respectively. Previous comorbidities (β = 0.61) and mean prednisolone dosage above 10 mg/day in the last 3 months ( β = 1.10) significantly increased COVID‐19 severity. Also, vaccination against SARS‐CoV‐2 ( β = −1.50) and each passing month from the last rituximab dose decreased severity ( β = −0.02). Notably, 19.3% of the patients developed AIBD flare‐ups following COVID‐19 infection. Higher prednisone dose and the shorter interval from the last rituximab infusion were determinants of severe COVID‐19. Physicians should assess the risk versus the benefits when prescribing the medications. Moreover, vaccination could successfully attenuate COVID‐19 severity.

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Background: Rituximab (RTX) is an effective treatment for pemphigus; however, the drug labeling recommends not to use RTX within 1 year before conception. Objectives: To report pregnancy outcomes of patients with pemphigus who were treated with RTX before or during pregnancy. Methods: We identified 19 pregnancies with RTX exposure before or during pregnancy. All had previously been advised not to get pregnant within 1 year of RTX administration. The cases were categorized into 3 groups of exposure of within 6 months (group A), between 6 and 12 months (group B), and longer than 12 months of conception (group C). The pregnancy outcomes of different RTX exposure intervals were compared. Results: Group A included 9 pregnancies, of which 3 had received RTX accidentally after conception. Group B and C included 4 and 6 pregnancies, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding pregnancy outcomes. Overall, there were 17 live births, 1 spontaneous abortion, and 1 termination. Of the live births, 3 preterm deliveries and 4 low-birth-weight neonates were noted. Moreover, 1 neonate was hospitalized due to early-onset neonatal sepsis, and 1 had hydronephrosis. Disease flare-up occurred in 5 patients during pregnancy (4 minor and 1 major relapses) and in 5 patients after delivery (3 minor and 2 major relapses). Conclusions: Except for 1 case of neonatal sepsis which survived following medical treatment, no serious relevant adverse pregnancy outcome that could be attributed to RTX exposure before and during early pregnancy in women with pemphigus was detected. Nevertheless, RTX should not be administered within 1 year before planned pregnancy, as not enough data is available yet.

Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disorder. Apart from the disease itself, other aspects of patients’ life, including psychological, social, and financial, can be affected. Women are particularly more disposed to the impact of the disease due to their physiological characteristics, the specific periods of pregnancy and lactation as well as their social and familial role. In this review, we summarized the burden of pemphigus vulgaris on various aspects of women’s lives. It is essential to understand these problems and provide appropriate support for patients with such a burdensome disease.