A significant proportion of skin disease develops rapidly, is highly symptomatic and can be associated with considerable morbidity. While most patients with acute skin disorders are initially seen by primary care services, acute dermatology is also encountered in hospital emergency departments and in dermatology clinics. This comprehensive reference on relevant acute dermatology is designed to encourage a structured and thorough clinical technique. The sections have been written so that essential information about each disease is summarized in a clear and concise way. After a brief introduction, there is a description of the clinical features, followed by a differential diagnosis, a list of important systemic associations and the relevant investigations. Treatment is divided into two sections, the first stating the immediate action required to prevent further deterioration and the second discussing long-term management considerations. Each condition described and discussed is illustrated by clinical pictures. It is hoped that this book will enable all medical staff seeing patients with acute skin problems to practice more effectively. It is aimed at primary care physicians, nurse specialists, emergency department staff and dermatologists. It should also appeal to the general physician who is interested in dermatology.

The skin is often the first organ to show that a serious disease exists in the body. Too often, clues from the skin are missed or neglected when examining a patient. From dog bites that don't heal to the dermatological effects of a vegan diet, 50 Cases in Dermatological Medicine demonstrates the astonishing variety of cutaneous responses that occur in a range of underlying pathologies. This fascinating treatise presents fifty cases from King's College Hospital that show the important relationship between dermatology and other medical disciplines.

Contents:
1. Haematemesis and Warts 2. Annular Lesions on the Face of a Neonate 3. A Warty Plaque on the Sole of the Foot 4. Dystrophic Nails and Lethargy 5. Stretchy Skin 6. Chronic Crusting of the Scalp 7. Generalized Popular Thickening of the Skin 8. Flexural Erythema following Chemotherapy 9. Painful Pustules in Pregnancy 10. Discharging Nodules on the Jaw 11. Thickening of the Facial Skin, Hand Weakness and Loss of Peripheral Sensation 12. Facial and Anogenital Dermatitis in an Infant 13. Non-healing Dog Bites 14. Two Patients with Pustular Plaques in a Neurosurgical Ward 15. Fever and Purpuric Lesions in an Infant 16. Photosensitivity with Skin Cancers 17. A Papular Eruption in a Patient with Leukaemia 18. A Polycytic Rash in a Patient with Epilepsy 19. Flexural Papules, Thirst and Polyuria 20. Facial Plaques and Fever 21. Generalized Thickening of the Skin following Bone Marrow Transplantation 22. Pruritic Plaques in Pregnancy 23. Multiple Painless Ulcers in a Traveler 24. A Purple Plaque on the Skin 25. Photosensitivity with Scarring 26. Generalized Hyperpigmentation and Swelling of the Hands 27. Birthmarks and Macrodactyly 28. Facial Nodules, Cough and Breathlessness 29. A Unilateral Breast Rash 30. Fever and a Desquamating Rash in an Infant 31. A Follicular Eruption in a Vegan 32. Erythroderma in a Jamaican Man 33. An Inflamed Toe and a Rash on the Legs in an Immunosuppressed Patient 34. Periorbital Erythema following Chemotherapy 35. Nodules and Plaques in a Boy with Progressive Liver Failure 36. Unilateral Groin Rash 37. Patches, Plaques and Lymphadenopathy 38. A Plaque on the Skin 39. A Rash and Numbness Involving the Right Thumb 40. Widespread Skin Sloughing in a Man with Fits 41. A Plaque on the Chest 42. A Polymorphic Mucocutaneous Eruption in a Patient with Lymphoma 43. Abdominal Pain, Fever and Acral Purpura 44. Papules on the Buttocks 45. A Non-healing Crusted Plaque in a Child 46. A rash on the Face, Upper Back and Hands 47. A Large Vascular Tumour in an HIV-positive Man 48. Linear Blisters and Pigmentation in a Baby Girl 49. Gradual Coarse Wrinkling of the Skin 50. Breathlessness and Widespread Cutaneous Necrosis