La Clínica incorporates CO2 laser for the treatment of Hailey-Hailey skin disease
La Clínica incorporates CO2 laser for the treatment of Hailey-Hailey skin disease
The hospital has set up a specific unit to offer the most appropriate diagnosis and therapeutic procedures to treat this genetic ailment.
One in every 50,000 people in Spain suffers from Hailey-Hailey disease, a skin condition of genetic origin, autosomal dominant (it is sufficient to receive the gene from only one of the parents to develop the disease). This dermatological condition "is characterized by the clinical appearance of fissured plaques on the skin, erosions and scabs in the main skin folds - mainly the underarms and armpits," describes Dr. Maider Pretel, a specialist at department de Dermatología de la Clínica Universidad de Navarra. The medical center has recently created a specific unit for the diagnosis and treatment of Hailey-Hailey disease, also known as benign familial pemphigus, headed by Dr. Agustín España, a specialist in blistering diseases, from the director of the department Dermatology Department.
The goal of this medical section aims to "offer more effective diagnostic and therapeutic coverage to patients with this disease," says Dr. Pretel. This skin condition usually manifests itself for the first time between the age of 10 and puberty, "always before the age of 30 or 40," she specifies.
After the first clinical manifestation, the disease presents a cyclical course, "with outbreaks triggered by friction, sweating, heat, stress, local infections and/or ultraviolet radiation". According to the specialist, "erosions and scabs on the skin of the folds frequently become superinfected, due to bacteria, causing pain and bad odor in patients, which can interfere with the normal social and professional activities of development ".
Current treatment
Current conventional treatment is based on "supportive measures that involve avoiding friction and employment oral or topical antibiotics during the superinfection. However, this is symptomatic therapy," adds the dermatologist. In recent years, various international programs of study have endorsed the therapeutic efficacy of the CO2 laser in the treatment of lesions of this disease Genetics.
For this reason, the Clinic has set up a specific unit "in order to provide diagnostic and therapeutic coverage for patients with this disease," she says. As it is a disease Genetics, the team of specialists works closely partnership with the Clinical Genetics Unit of the same hospital, with the aim of offering a diagnosis of molecular certainty goal .
Indicated patients
CO2 laser treatment will be applied in those patients with Hailey-Hailey disease whose symptoms do not respond to conventional treatment, consisting of the local application of immunomodulatory drugs (tacrolimus or pimecrolimus) and antifungal drugs.
According to the medical literature published on the subject and the experience obtained by the Clinic's own department , the affected areas of the skin treated with CO2 laser, "show a normal re-epithelialization process without the appearance of eroded or blistered areas", the specialist points out. This effect is achieved thanks to the laser's own mechanism of action. " The CO2 laser is a laser that emits a beam of light that allows precise control of the depth of ablation (erosion) of the skin, which minimizes the risk of scarring," emphasizes Dr. Pretel.