Inflammatory dermatoses — MCQs

A 72-year-old nursing home resident is complaining of pruritis. She is noted to have multiple, tense blisters on her trunk as well as the flexor surfaces of her extremities. The blisters have an erythematous base. You are unable to extend the blisters when you apply lateral traction. You suspect an autoimmune bullous dermatosis. Which of the following is the cause of the likely condition?

A 23-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 5-month history of a pruritic rash on the bilateral upper extremities. She has no history of serious illness and takes no medications. A skin biopsy of the rash shows intraepidermal accumulation of edematous fluid and widening of intercellular spaces between keratinocytes. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 29-year-old woman presents with skin lesions on her elbows and forearms. She notes that they first started appearing 2 months ago and have not improved. She describes the lesions as painless and rarely itchy. She denies any similar symptoms in the past, and has no other significant past medical history. Review of systems is significant for recent joint pain, conjunctivitis, and corneal dryness. The patient is afebrile and vital signs are within normal limits. Non-tender, raised, inflamed, white-silver maculopapular lesions are present. Which of the following are the most likely histopathologic findings in this patient's skin biopsy?

A 24-year-old man comes to the physician for the evaluation of a severely pruritic skin rash. Physical examination shows a symmetrical rash over the knees and elbows with tense, grouped vesicles, and several excoriation marks. Microabscesses in the papillary dermis are seen on light microscopy. Immunofluorescence shows deposits of immunoglobulin A at the tips of dermal papillae. This patient's skin findings are most likely associated with which of the following?

A 47-year-old man presents to his primary care physician complaining of pain and stiffness in his right index finger and left knee. The past medical history is remarkable for severe dandruff and an episode of apparent gout in the left 1st toe 6 months ago, which never resolved. The physical examination confirms dactylitis of the right index finger and several toes, as well as synovitis of the left knee. He is also noted to have pitting of his fingernails. Plain X-rays of his hand reveal erosions in the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint and periarticular new bone formation. Which of the following is most consistent with these findings?

A 40-year-old man presents with a rash, oral lesions, and vision problems for 5 days. He says the rash started as a burning feeling on his face and the upper part of his torso, but soon red spots appeared in that same distribution. The spots grew in size and spread to his upper extremities. The patient says the spots are painful but denies any associated pruritus. He says the painful oral lesions appeared about the same time as the rash. For the past 3 days, he also says he has been having double vision and dry, itchy eyes. He reports that he had a mild upper respiratory infection for a few days that preceded his current symptoms. The patient denies any chills, hematuria, abdominal or chest pain, or similar symptoms in the past. Past medical history is significant for a severe urinary tract infection diagnosed 3 weeks ago for which he has been taking trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The vital signs include: temperature 38.3℃ (101.0℉), blood pressure 110/60 mm Hg, respiratory rate 20/min, and pulse 108/min. On physical examination, the patient has severe painful erosions of the oral mucosa. There are multiple fluid-filled vesicles and bullae averaging 3 mm in diameter with a surrounding erythematous ring that involve only the upper torso and extensor surfaces of upper extremities. Several of the lesions have ruptured, resulting in sloughing off of the epidermal layer. There is a prominent conjunctival injection present. Ophthalmic examination reveals mild bilateral corneal abrasions without any evidence of frank ulceration. Laboratory findings are significant for the following: White blood cell (WBC) count 8,500/mm3 Red blood cell (RBC) count 4.20 x 106/mm3 Hematocrit 41.5% Hemoglobin 14.0 g/dL Platelet count 215,000/mm3 C-reactive protein (CRP) 86 mg/L Urine and blood cultures are pending. Which of the following would confirm the most likely diagnosis in this patient?

A 50-year-old female presents to her physician with vesicles and tense blisters across her chest, arms, and the back of her shoulders. Physical examination reveals that blistering is not present in her oral mucosa, and the epidermis does not separate upon light stroking of the skin. The patient most likely suffers from a hypersensitivity reaction located:

A 28-year-old male presents to his primary care physician with complaints of intermittent abdominal pain and alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea. His medical chart is not significant for any past medical problems or prior surgeries. He is not prescribed any current medications. Which of the following questions would be the most useful next question in eliciting further history from this patient?

A 53-year-old woman seeks medical care for superficial erosions and blisters over the skin of her head and trunk. She also has significant involvement of her buccal mucosa, which has made eating difficult. A year earlier, she developed tender sores on the oral mucosa and soft palate of her mouth, which was initially treated as herpes simplex stomatitis. Her condition worsened despite treatment, resulting in the development of eroded areas over her trunk and extremities, with a 10 kg weight loss. Upon further questioning, she denies itching, but she notes that the top layer of her skin could be easily removed when firm horizontal pressure was applied. What is the most likely diagnosis for this patient’s condition?

A 54-year-old man comes to the physician because of a cough with blood-tinged sputum for 1 week. He also reports fever and a 5-kg (11 lb) weight loss during the past 2 months. Over the past year, he has had 4 episodes of sinusitis. Physical examination shows palpable nonblanching skin lesions over the hands and feet. Examination of the nasal cavity shows ulceration of the nasopharyngeal mucosa and a depressed nasal bridge. Oral examination shows a painful erythematous gingival enlargement that bleeds easily on contact. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the patient's symptoms?