Fish Scale Disease, (Ichthyosis) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

Fish scale disease (Ichthyosis) is a rare medical non contagious disorder of the keratin of the skin where there is reduction of sweat and sebaceous secretions. Fish scale disease is a skin disorder passed down through families that result in dry, scaly skin. Ichthyosis means fish like appearance of the skin. Ichthyosis is a chronic disorder that leads to persistently thick, dry, "fish-scale" skin.
There is no cure but a daily skincare regime normally keeps the symptoms mild and treatable. Patients have a family history of fish scale disease (Ichthyosis)Fish scale disease (Ichthyosis) is one of the most frequent of the inherited skin disorders. It may start in early childhoodCausesMost patients with fish scale disease (Ichthyosis) have inherited a special faulty gene from their parent. The signs of inherited fish scale disease occur at birth or within the first year of life.
This faulty gene involves the speed of regeneration of the skin - either the shedding of old skin cells is too slow, or the skin cells can multiply at a much faster speed than the shedding of old skin. This produces a build-up of rough, scaly skin. Most forms of fish scale disease (Ichthyosis) are due toGenetic conditions:1. Ichthyosis vulgaris 95% -autosomal dominant2. Ichthyosis lamellaris - autosomal recessive usually in newborns3.
Bullous Ichthyosis - autosomal dominantThis disorder is inherited mostly in an autosomal dominant pattern. That means the patient only need to get the abnormal gene from one parent in order for the patient to inherit the disease. It may occur along with:1. Atopic dermatitis, 2. Asthma, 3. Keratosis pilaris (small bumps on the back of the arms), 4. Other skin disorders. Other inherited forms of fish scale disease (Ichthyosis) are very rare and are:1.
X-linked ichthyosis --sex linked recessiveThis only affects males and includes general scaling, particularly over the limbs, neck and buttocks2. Harlequins Ichthyosis -autosomal recessiveThis is extremely rare, but the scaling is severe and requires intensive care at birth3. Syndromes that include ichthyosis - such as Netherton's syndrome or Sjogren-Larsson syndrome4. Congenital ichthyosiform erythrodermaFish scale disease (Ichthyosis) may develop if a baby is born with a collodion membrane (shiny yellow membrane) that drops off from the skin within the first week of life.
Once the membrane has shed, one of the following types of fish scale disease (Ichthyosis) can develop:a. Non-bullous ichthyosiform erythroderma - inflamed, scaly skin affecting the entire skin surfaceb. Bullous ichthyosiform erythroderma - inflamed, scaly skin with fluid-filled blisters that may become infected and produce a foul-smelling skin odorc. Lamellar ichthyosis - where the skin is not as red, but the scales are tighter and larger to the skinIn serious cases of congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma, a child may also have drooping lower eyelids (ectropion), tight skin on the fingers and mild hair loss.
Acquired ichthyosis tends to develop in adulthood and is not inherited. It is normally linked with another disease, such as:1. Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid)2. Kidney disease3. Sarcoidosis - a rare disease that causes clumps of cells to form in the organs4. Lymphoma - a type of cancer5. HIV infectionTABLE OF CONTENTIntroductionChapter 1 Fish Scale Disease (Ichthyosis)Chapter 2 CausesChapter 3 SymptomsChapter 4 DiagnosisChapter 5 TreatmentChapter 6 PrognosisChapter 7 MelasmaChapter 8 FrecklesEpilogue