real Story
Medical Student Impresses With Differential and Images
A 72-year-old patient arrived at the hospital with a 1-week history of erythema, pruritus, and purulent discharge in the bilateral intertriginous areas. The patient also noted a foul odor and burning sensation. She applied nystatin powder to affected areas but there was no improvement.
When preparing my patient presentation for morning rounds, I utilized the VisualDx app to formulate a differential diagnosis. When I included nail exam findings, I discovered the genodermatosis of Darier disease. After presenting my differential diagnosis and treatment plan, the hospitalist team presumed the findings to be consistent with cellulitis. However; after treating with antibiotics, there was still no improvement.
The dermatology team eventually made the diagnosis of Darier disease and eczema herpeticum. I was later invited by the Department of Infectious Disease to present on this case. My presentation included beautifully illustrated photos from VisualDx to demonstrate characteristic findings of Darier disease including candy-cane nails, cobblestoning of the oral mucosa, and acrokeratosis verruciformis of Hopf.
The Skin of Color section of VisualDx was helpful in demonstrating how cutaneous manifestations of Darier disease may differ in patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV, V, and VI. After the presentation, I received wonderful comments about the high-quality photos provided. The VisualDx app has been helpful when narrowing a differential diagnosis while on-the-go and searching treatments for unfamiliar skin conditions.
-Anonymized story based on real user testimonial
