Agnieszka Owczarczyk-Saczonek

University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn · Departament of Dermatology Sexually Transmitted Disease and Clinical Immunology

Key Clinical Message Radiation dermatitis is one of the most common adverse effects that occur in patients treated with radiation therapy. It is usually limited to the irradiated area. However, cases of generalized lesions have also been described in the literature. A rare but highly important cutaneous manifestation can be erythema multiforme‐like...

A continuous increase in the popularity of esthetic procedures with the use of substances as HA has been observed for many years, which might be contributing to an increase in the number of adverse events. The autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) can be provoked by hyaluronic acid (HA), which belongs to substances meeting th...

Trigeminal trophic syndrome (TTS) is a rare condition resulting from self‐manipulation of the skin after an injury to the trigeminal nerve. We describe the case of a 70‐year‐old woman who was hospitalized because of erythema, ulceration, and crusts on the right side of her face, accompanied by itching, burning, and irritation forcing self‐manipulat...

This is a report of one of the most serious complications of the cardiac pacemaker implantation ‐ infection of the implanted system. We present the case, which was misdiagnosed at the beginning and after cardiological consultation it was decided to immediately remove the peacemaker and transfer the patient to the Cardiological Department.

Plaque psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis characterized by a tendency to recur in the same locations after discontinuation of treatment. The implementation of therapy with drugs targeting cytokines like interleukin (IL) 17A (IL-17A) and IL-23 has revolutionized the treatment of psoriasis and enabled the achievement of skin without lesio...

Dermocosmetics (active cosmetics, functional cosmetics, cosmeceuticals) are preparations for external use, supporting pharmacotherapy of skin diseases during the active phase of the disease and in remission. They are also used for healthy skin (preventive) care. Historically, topical skin care products have been divided into cosmetics and drugs, as...

b>Introduction: Abrikossoff’s tumor (AT), also known as granular cell tumor or granular cell myoblastoma, is a rare and usually benign neoplasm. It can occur anywhere in the body, but the tongue is the most often reported location. Aim: To describe a diagnostically difficult case of Abrikossoff’s tumor. Case report: A 23-year-old woman presented pr...

Introduction: The skin is the largest organ in the human body and it is also a complex organ. Its protective function is properly maintained due to its continuous renewal. Malignancies develop when the balance between proliferation and cell death is dysregulated in skin cells. Skin epithelial cancers are the most common neoplasms in humans. Althou...

Under physiological conditions, skin mast cells play an important role as guardians that quickly react to stimuli that disturb homeostasis. These cells efficiently support, fight infection, and heal the injured tissue. The substances secreted by mast cells allow for communication inside the body, including the immune, nervous, and blood systems. Pa...

The present multi-center, long-term, real-life study made an attempt to assess the efficacy of risankizumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The study comprised 185 patients from 10 Polish dermatologic departments undergoing risankizumab treatment. The disease severity was measured using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index...

Introduction Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF), sometimes called Ofuji disease, is a chronic skin disorder of unknown etiology which develops predominantly in elderly man. Clinically it usually presents as itching centrifugally extending papulopustular rash. Aim To present a case of EPF and to raise dermatologists’ awareness of this this de...

Background: Pruritus, which is the most frequent subjective symptom of psoriasis, may cause significant discomfort, embarrassment, and even interfere with patients normal daily activities. However, the perception of itch in various psoriasis subtypes remains unknown. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate and to characterize prurit...

Psoriasis has a clear and strong connection with smoking in both its pathogenesis and clinical course. Smoking can cause a serious worsening of both the disease itself and the systemic complications such as cardiovascular events, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), cancer and depression. Smoking also seems to alter the gut microbiota and thus promote psoria...

Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases, constituting a significant health and socioeconomic problem. Despite numerous therapeutic options, the results of treatment often remain insufficient. This may be due to the lack of compliance with medical prescriptions and patients’ limited knowledge of their disease. Psoriati...

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with many comorbidities resulting from not only local but also systemic inflammation [...]

The aim of this article is to present the case of acute– febrile neutrophilic dermatosis (Sweet syndrome – SS) after Ad26.COV2.S vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case of SS provoked by this specific vaccine. What is more, the mildly symptomatic beginning of the disease, later followed by typical SS ma...

Drug‐induced gingival overgrowth (DIGO) is an undesirable effect resulting from the therapy of one of the three groups of drugs: phenytoin, calcium channel blockers and cyclosporine A (CsA). It is caused by a fibrous overgrowth leading to gingivitis, periodontitis and even tooth loss. Possible consequences include tooth decay worsening, pain and di...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and characteristics of COVID-19 cutaneous manifestations among geriatric patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Patients and methods: Sixty-four nursing home residents in Dobre Miasto, Poland (mean age: 79 years) infected with SARS-CoV-2 were monitored for skin lesions during the e...

These recommendations of the Polish Dermatological Society focuses on the use of lasers in the treatment of vascular lesions. The principles of lasertherapy in rosacea, hemangiomas, vascular malformations and other conditions is discussed. The significance of medical history, proper diagnosis and selection of an appropriate laser device is underl...

Aseptic abscess syndrome (AAS) is a rare, potentially life-threatening disorder, with numerous features of neutrophilic dermatoses. The main symptoms include aseptic abscess-like collections in internal organs (spleen, liver, lungs), lack of microbes (bacteria, viruses, or parasites) after an exhaustive search, ineffectiveness of antibiotics, and h...

Background: Quality of life (QoL) and sleep, which are essential for well-being in the mental, physical, and socioeconomic domains, are impaired in psoriatic patients. However, the exact role of the clinical subtype of psoriasis in this aspect remains poorly studied. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in QoL impairm...

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease in which the disturbed dependencies between lymphocytes, dendritic cells, keratinocytes and neutrophils play the most important role. One of them is the overproduction of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The release of NETs can be induced by pathogens, as well as antibodies and immune complexes, cytokines an...

Background: The natural course of psoriasis is characterized by the long-term persistence of lesions and a predilection for relapse in the same area. It is caused by the inherence of TRM (tissue resident memory T cells) in apparently healthy skin. These cells are able to initiate an inflammatory cascade and induce relapse of the disease. These cel...

Morphea is an inflammatory, immune-mediated disease of unknown aetiology. It is characterised by excessive collagen deposition, which leads to the hardening of the dermis and subcutaneous tissues. The disease is associated with cosmetic and functional impairment, which can affect the patients’ quality of life. Fractional ablative lasers (FALs) are...

There is evidence that the concomitance of psoriasis and obesity may originate from the interplay between multiple genetic pathways and involve gene–gene interactions. The aim of this study was to compare the genetic background related to obesity among psoriatic patients versus healthy controls by means of a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS). A...

Rosacea is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory, but not infectious, skin disease. The prevalence of rosacea is relatively high in the adult population of Northern Europe. Its characteristic symptoms include recurrent flushing, erythema, telangiectasia, papules and pustules, localized on cheeks, nose, chin and forehead. At present, four, not mutually...

Cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) are among the most common types of drug hypersensitivity reactions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical spectrum of CADRs and to determine the causal relationship between drugs, comorbidities, cofactors or concomitant symptoms, and cutaneous reactions. A retrospective hospital-based study...

Tetracyclines are a group of antibiotics whose first representative was discovered over 70 years ago. Since then, they have been of great interest in dermatology. In addition to their antibacterial activity, they are able to inhibit metalloproteinases and exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and antioxidant effects. The side effects have been...

Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin diseases, constituting a significant health and socioeconomic problem. Despite numerous therapeutic options, the results of treatment very often remain insufficient. It is extremely important to remember that many external factors impact the effectiveness of therapy. This article discuss...

Isotretinoin (ISO) is an oral prescription-only retinoid, well known for its acne-treating effect. However, it affects a substantial number of human cell types, causing a broad spectrum of adverse effects. The purpose of this study is to establish the isotretinoin therapy adverse events among human clinical trials and their prevalence. Two authors...

The assessment of psoriatic nail changes in everyday practice is based exclusively on clinical symptoms that do not reflect the entire disease process in the nail apparatus. The use of imaging methods, especially widely available and inexpensive ultrasonography, creates the possibility of additional revealing and assessing grayscale of morphologica...

Lasers and intense light sources have made it possible to treat many diseases in dermatology. They also may be applied in aesthetic dermatology. These recommendations contain a summary of basic concepts, information on physical parameters and types of lasers used in modern dermatology. Part 1 of recommendations concerns the use of CO2, erbium:YAG l...

Tetracyclines are a group of antibiotics whose first representative was discovered over 70 years ago. Since then, they have been of great interest in dermatology. In addition to their antibacterial activity, they are able to inhibit metalloproteinases and exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and antioxidant effects. The side effects have been...

Vitiligo is described as a dermatological condition characterized by pigmentation disorders in both the skin and mucous membranes. Clinically, this disease is characterized by the presence of well-defined white areas of various shapes and sizes, which are a manifestation of a reduced number of melanocytes. Due to the fact that vitiligo can be a sig...

The epidemiology of psoriasis has not been widely assessed in Polish population so far. This study aimed to investigate psoriasis epidemiological situation by evaluating disease course and severity, management, comorbidities, environmental factors, and knowledge about this disorder among psoriatic patients in Poland. A cross-sectional cohort popula...

One role of neutrophils, the most abundant innate immune sentinels, is neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, which plays a significant role in immune surveillance. However, NET operation is bidirectional. Recent studies report that NETs may contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis. The participation of neutrop...

Psoriasis vulgaris is a common inflammatory skin disease with still unknown pathogenesis. In recent years, genetic and environmental factors have been mentioned as the main causes. Among environmental factors, many researchers are trying to investigate the role of mental health and its importance in the development of many diseases. In the pathophy...

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease which concerns approx. 1-3% population worldwide. In children psoriasis is less common, with the peak of morbidity in teenagers. Because of its more common prevelance in children in last decade, especially the disease with moderate and severe course, it is necessary to remind its clinical features an...

Abstrakt Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic, incurable inflammatory skin diseases, affecting 2–4% of the general population. Etiopathogenesis of this disease remains unclear. It is widely considered to be a multifactorial disorder caused by the interaction between inherited susceptibility alleles and environmental risk factors, such as lif...

The prevalence of venous leg ulcers (VLUs) differs between 1.5% and 3% in the general population. The challenge in treating VLUs is common recurrence. Moreover, VLUs can be resistant to healing, despite appropriate treatment. In these cases, advanced wound therapies should be considered. The number of new technologies, applied in VLUs treatment, ha...

Background: In the course of plaque psoriasis, tissue resident memory cells (TRM) are responsible for the phenomenon of "immune memory" of lesions, i.e., the appearance of recurrences of lesions in the same location, as well as Koebner phenomenon. We present results determining the location and amount of TRM in psoriatic lesions in patients suffer...

Introduction: Melanocytes show antigen expressions characteristic for the immune response effector cells, and the immune reactions in the skin, especially those with inflammation background, significantly affect the function of melanocytes. Among the cytokines produced by keratinocytes, the stem cell factor (SCF) plays a leading role in stimulatin...

By participating in both the recruitment and activation of T lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils at the site of psoriatic inflammation, chemokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and, crucially, may be one indicator of the response to the systemic treatment of the disease. As a result of their major involvement in both...

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan, a natural component of the extracellular matrix. The identical structure of the molecule in all living organisms is its main advantage, as it translates into the minimal probability of immunogenicity. Therefore, it is the closest to the ideal preparation used as a filler, due to its biocompatibility and...

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease present in about 3% of the world’s population. The clinical symptoms manifest diversely, therefore one can distinguish several subtypes of psoriasis. The majority of patients with psoriasis experience pruritus, which is an unpleasant sensation that decreases patients’ quality of life. The knowledge...

Caspase-14 is a unique member of the caspase family—a family of molecules participating in apoptosis. However, it does not affect this process but regulates another form of programmed cell death—cornification, which is characteristic of the epidermis. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in the formation of the skin barrier. The cell death cycle has...

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of retinoid treatment on the morphological changes in the nail apparatus in patients with nail psoriasis. Material and methods: 41 patients aged 32 to 64 with nail psoriasis, without clinical signs of psoriatic arthritis, started on acitretin 0.6 to 0.8 mg kg b.w./d, for six months and 28 people in the contr...

Both dyslipidemia and the development of atherosclerosis are thought to be linked to psoriasis. The formation of atherosclerotic plaques is facilitated by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and promoted by anti-oxidized low-density lipoprotein (anti-oxLDL). Oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and anti-oxLDL levels are increased in patients with psoriasis. In...

Cyclitols are high polarity polyols, belonging to secondary metabolites, which are easily isolable from plant material. These compounds are biosynthetically derived from glucose, and occur in all living cells. They form a group of biologically active compounds and participate in many cellular processes such as: membrane biogenesis, signal transduct...

Introduction: Cellulitis is less common local infection caused by staphylococci but may be accompanied by severe symptoms. Aim: The authors present a case of a 25-year-old woman with cellulitis in the lower jaw area, who had a complication in the form of purulent pneumonia with numerous abscesses and pleurisy. Case study: The patient, 25-year-old w...

Introduction: Cutis calcification is the deposition of calcium in the skin and subcutaneous tissues and is classified into four subsets. Dystrophic calcifications are the most common type of skin calcification, occurring mainly in damaged tissues or in course of autoimmune disease. However, the coexistance of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and...

Introduction: Among the diseases associated with psoriasis linked to smoking are primarily cardiovascular diseases (including atherosclerosis) and metabolic syndrome. In addition, cigarette smoking also affects the effectiveness of systemic treatment of psoriasis. Aim: Assessment of the effect of cigarette smoking on biomarkers of atherosclerosis i...

Introduction: Behçet disease (BD) is a rare systemic vasculitis of unknown aetiology, which can involve different size arteries and veins. The syndrome is characterized by oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, skin and ocular lesions, arthritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, and neurological signs. Aim: The aim of this paper is to discuss comorbidity of...

Introduction: The course of psoriasis is associated with recurrence of the lesions at the same location despite effective treatment. It is due to the presence of TRM (tissue-resident memory cells) in the seemingly healthy skin, which may initiate an inflammatory cascade. Aim: The assessment of TRM in psoriatic lesions prior to and after 12 weeks...

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects approximately 1–3% of the general population in Poland. It is estimated that in 70–80% of patients skin lesions are mild and require only topical medications. In severe plaque psoriasis, classic treatments often lead to a loss of efficacy, adverse effects or insufficient treatment effect...

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammation resulting from interactions between immunological and genetic factors. An important tolerogenic role in this autoimmunological disease is played by HLA-G, which is modulated by IL-10. Therefore, this study (N=80) aimed to evaluate changes in the serum sHLA-G and IL-10 levels in active psoriasis vulga...

Cyclitols are widely available natural sugars which do not exert toxic effects. Their anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant properties may be used in the treatment of psoriasis. The aim of this placebo‐controlled, double‐blind study was to evaluate the clinical effects of D‐chiro‐inositol (DCI) in mild plaque psoriasis (46 psoriatic patients and 10 hea...

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, progressive, inflammatory arthropathy associated with psoriasis as well as a complex pathogenesis. Genetic and environmental factors trigger the development of the immune-mediated auto-inflam-matory response in different sites: skin, bone marrow, entheses and synovial tissues. Studies of the last two decades...

Erysipelas is an acute bacterial disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Its most commonly caused by group A beta-haemolytic Streptococci. Factors predisposing to infection include: old age, chronic diseases and immunodeficiency. Erysipelas the most typically develops on lower limbs. Very rarely the lesions are located on the trunk or the geni...

Background and objectives: The shared pathogenesis of psoriasis and atherosclerosis may be determined by assaying the levels of endothelial activation molecules. This study aimed at evaluating vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin serum concentrations, and atherosclerosis severity in patients with plaque psoriasis. It also aimed...

Dysfunctional regulatory T lymphocytes are important for the pathogenesis of psoriasis and atherosclerosis. We analyzed the severity of atherosclerosis and the concentration of regulatory cytokines in patients with psoriasis who were administered methotrexate or adalimumab for 12 weeks. We included 34 patients with psoriasis (17 each, administered...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study is to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of hyaluronic acid (HA) administration in correction of facial morphea lesions and to review the literature on the subject. Morphea is a chronic inflammatory disease of the connective tissue which may lead to serious deformations. The lesions located on the face parti...

Psoriasis is a systemic disease that is strictly connected with metabolic disorders (insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases). It occurs more often in patients with a more severe course of the disease. Obesity is specially an independent risk factor and it is associated with a worse treatment...

Introduction: Epidermal-fatty acid-binding protein (E-FABP) is a marker of transiently amplifying cells which are formed from stem cells in epidermis. Their role is an uptake of fatty acids and metabolism. Psoriatic keratinocytes overexpress E-FABPs, which leads to acanthosis and may explain the lipid's disturbances in psoriasis. Aim: Assessment...

Psoriasis is a multifactorial disease in which genetic, environmental and epigenetic factors regulating gene expression play a key role. In the "genomic era", genome-wide association studies together with target genotyping platforms performed in different ethnic populations have found more than 50 genetic susceptible markers associated with the ris...

Vitiligo is the most common hypopigmentation disease affecting both the skin and mucous membranes. The pathogenesis of this disorder is complex and involves the influence of genetic and environmental factors, oxidative stress, and autoimmune responses. Recent studies have indicated that skin lesions observed in vitiligo tend to recur in the same pl...

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting approximately 1–3% of the general population. Although skin lesions are the primary clinical manifestation of the condition, psoriasis – especially moderate to severe – is currently regarded as a systemic disease, not only associated with the development of psoriatic arthritis but also linked to...

Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory dermatoses. We present the second part of the diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines on psoriasis. The second part discusses the principles of treatment of plaque psoriasis, with a particular emphasis on systemic drugs. The guidelines have been updated to take into consideration new therapies...

Psoriasis is a common, chronic, inflammatory, immune-mediated skin disease affecting about 2% of the world's population. According to current knowledge, psoriasis is a complex disease that involves various genes and environmental factors, such as stress, injuries, infections and certain medications. The chronic inflammation of psoriasis lesions dev...

Botulinum toxin (BoNT) is a valuable therapeutic tool with several medical indications and the most popular of all cosmetic procedures worldwide. This is the reason for the growing number of unregistered products that may be the reason for adverse reactions. We present a case of a 51‐year‐old woman who developed a pyoderma gangrenosum‐like reaction...

Introduction: Fatigue is an important and underrated symptom of many chronic diseases. Aim: The evaluation of incidence and severity of fatigue as well as the influence of selected factors on fatigue in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Material and methods: The study included 60 patients with PsA, 58 patients with psorias...

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases are a group of diseases characterized by generalized inflammation that results from immune dysregulation, especially involving the mechanisms of acquired immunity. These diseases may be familial, showing that genetic factors play an important role in their development. Additionally, the occurrence of one diseas...