Browsing by Author "Erfan, Gamze"

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Did Dermatological Hospital Referrals and Practice of Dermatologists Change in Between Pre-covid and Covid Era? A Short-term Preliminary Evaluation
(WOLTERS KLUWER MEDKNOW PUBLICATIONS, 2022-01-01) Kavak, Ayse; Erfan, Gamze; Aydingoz, IkbalEsen; Demir, Figen; Tukenmez-Demirci, Guelsen; Biyik-Ozkaya, Dilek; Demircioglu, Deniz; Yilmaz, Murat; Karapicak, Rabia; Sahin, Sedef
Objective: In this descriptive study, we aimed to evaluate features of dermatology referrals before and after Covid-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: The patients referred to dermatology outpatient clinics of Acibadem Group Hospitals in Istanbul between the time intervals 2019 March 1st and August 31st (Group G1) and 2020 March 1st and August 31st (Group G2) were included in this study. G1 and G2 groups were compared in terms of age, gender, mean duration of complaints, the most common five anatomic regions and the most common five dermatoses. Results: Referral rate after Covid-19 pandemic was decreased by 40\%. Face (p=.0013, OR= 1.20, 95\% CI=1.07-1.34), scalp (p=.02, OR=1.23, 95\% CI=1.02-1.48) and hand (p=.04, 95\% OR=1.24, 95\% CI=1.00-1.54) were more common locations in 2020 (group G2) than in 2019 (G2 group). The most common five dermatoses were contact dermatitis (8.3\%), acne (8,1\%), wart (7,0\%), seborrheic dermatitis (5,7\%) and pyoderma (5,5\%) in G1 (2019), while the order was contact dermatitis (10,6\%), acne (7,5\%), seborrheic dermatitis (6,5\%), wart (6,4\%) and pyoderma (4,9\%) in G2 (2020). Contact dermatitis showed a significant increase after pandemic (p=.0017, OR=1.29, 95\% CI=1.10-1.51). In 2020, psoriasis and lichen planus showed a two-fold increases (P <.001, OR=2.00, 95\% CI=1.43-2.79 and p=.03, OR=1.92, 95\% CI=1.09-3.38, respectively), whereas frequency of molluscum contagiosum decreased significantly (p=.03, OR=0.49, 95\% CI=0.26-0.92). Conclusion: Although we found some remarkable results, relatively short-term period design with the limited patient population of this study needs to be verified in more comprehensive studies.
In misleading histories: Key role of dermoscopy
(DERI ZUHREVI HASTALIKLAR DERNEGI, 2021-01-01) Erfan, Gamze
Role of GDF-15 as an inflammatory marker in patients with psoriasis vulgaris
(DERI ZUHREVI HASTALIKLAR DERNEGI, 2021-01-01) Tasolar, Mustafa Kaan; Erfan, Gamze; Raimoglu, Onur; Albayrak, Hulya; Yanik, Mehmet Emin
Background and Design: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory disease, and several biochemical markers play role in its inflammatory process. This study measured the levels of interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-17a, IL-22 and IL-23, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and serum growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and aimed to detect the relationship of serum GDF-15 level with inflammation and disease severity. Materials and Methods: This study included 50 consecutive patients diagnosed with plaque-type psoriasis. For all patients, dermatological examinations were performed, and psoriasis area severity index (PASI) scores were recorded. Patients with PASI <10 were considered to have mild (group 1), 10-20 moderate (group 2), and >20 severe (group 3) psoriasis. Results: No difference was observed between the patient and the control groups in terms of age, sex, IL-17a and IL-22. A statistically nonsignificant difference was detected in terms of IL-12 and IL-23. However, there was significant difference between two groups in terms of hs-CRP, TNF-alpha and GDF-15. GDF-15 was significantly different in all three groups (p<0.001). A significant correlation was observed between PASI score and disease duration (p=0.005), hs-CRP (p=0.003), TNF-alpha (p=0.002), and serum GDF-15 levels (p<0.001). The serum GDF-15 level that can predict a high PASI score was >1498.5 pg/mL (area under the curve: 0.813, p<0.001) in the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. This study is mainly limited by the lack of follow-up and pre-and post-treatment assessment. Inflammatory markers were measured only in the serum, and their tissue levels are unknown. Conclusion: In addition to PASI score, GDF-15 levels can be a guide in monitoring treatment and systemic inflammation, determining the disease severity, and providing efficient treatment.
Skin Biopsy Results of Geriatric Patients Over a 5-year Period and the Frequency of Skin Diseases Before and After COVID-19 Pandemic
(GALENOS PUBL HOUSE, 2022-01-01) Ozkaya, Dilek Biyik; Erfan, Gamze; Okuturlar, Yildiz; Tosuner, Zeynep; Demircioglu, Deniz; Timurkaynak, Ozgur
Objective: The number of older adults has increased throughout the world. Aging affects all the organs and creates psychological, physiologic and anatomic changes. One of the most important organs of the human body is the skin, which shows the effects of aging the most. This study aims to determine whether age, gender, and season of biopsy play a significant role in skin biopsy results. Additionally, the study investigates whether the frequency of skin diseases differs before and after the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on the histopathology results of patients over 65 years old between June 2016 and September 2021. The histopathology results were obtained from the Acibadem Pathology Department. Results: Of the 677 patients, 310 (45.8\%) were male and 367 (54.2\%) were female. The most common disease in all patients were benign cutaneous neoplasms (23\%), followed by eczematous disease (18.5\%) and epithelial cutaneous cancers (16.8\%). We divided the results into 12 groups: group 1: Urticaria, erythema and purpuras, group 2: Papulosquamous and eczematous diseases, group 3: Infectious diseases, group 4: Rheumatologic diseases and alopecia, group 5: Benign cutaneous neoplasms, group 6: Precancerous lesions, group 7: Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, group 8: Cutaneous metastasis and other skin cancers, group 9: Pigmentation disorders, group 10: Pschycology related dermatological disorders, group 11: Granulomatous dermatitis, group 12: Bullous dermatitis. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the most prevalent results were group 2 (21.3\%), followed by group 5 (20.4\%) and group 7 (16.7\%) whereas, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the most frequent results were group 5 (28.4\%) followed by group 7 (17.1\%), and group 6 (14.9\%). In terms of seasons, the most common diseases were group 5 (24.1\%) in winter, group 2 (21.6\%) in spring, group 5 (30.0\%) in summer, and group 2 (18.9\%) in autumn. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the most common result was group 2 (21.3\%), followed by group 5 (20.4\%) and group 7 (16.7\%), and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the most common result was group 5 (28.4\%), followed by group 7 (17.1\%), group 6 (14.9\%). Conclusion: Many skin diseases affect the geriatric population. Geriatric patients face challenges such as multiple drug use, comorbidities, mobility problems and cognitive disorders. In our study, the most common diseases in all patients were benign cutaneous neoplasms (23\%), followed by eczematous diseases (18.5\%), and epithelial cutaneous cancers (16.8\%). Knowing about the frequency of skin diseases is critical for the early detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions.