Chat Transcript, Dr. Werth, December 20, 2006
Live Chat with Dr. Victoria P. Werth
Skin Disease in Lupus
Moderator
Good evening. Welcome to the third in our on-going series of live chats with various experts on lupus. This chat is hosted by the Lupus Foundation of America, the nation’s leading nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes and cure for lupus.We are very pleased to have as our guest today Dr. Victoria P. Werth. Dr. Werth is chief of the Division of Dermatology, at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Hospital. She is also a Professor of Dermatology and Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Moderator
Dr. Werth received her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and served her internship in medicine and a residency in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She was a resident and later a chief resident and research fellow in dermatology at New York University. Dr. Werth is a member of several prestigious professional and scientific societies, including the American Academy of Dermatology, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Rheumatology and the Dermatology Foundation. She is a Feature Editor for the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. In addition, Dr. Werth is a reviewer for several esteemed publications, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Arthritis & Rheumatism, the Journal of Rheumatology, and the British Journal of Dermatology.
Moderator
Among her many awards and honors, Dr. Werth is listed in Who’s Who in America and Best Doctors in America. She is an Ad Hoc Reviewer for the Immunology Panel of the VA Merit Review and she was a Panel Chair and member of the Medical & Scientific Committee Clinical Panel of the Dermatology Foundation. Dr. Werth currently serves on the Lupus Foundation of America’s Medical Scientific Advisory Council. Before we begin, let me explain a little about the way our chat will be conducted. This is a moderated chat, which means that I will ask Dr. Werth questions that have been submitted you and other members of the audience. You can submit a question either by sending your question by email to question@lupus.org or by entering it into the light green chat bar at the bottom of the chat window. Likely there will not be enough time to get to every question that is submitted. I will attempt use as many as possible during the hour-long chat. Whenever possible, I will group similar questions together. If I am not able to use your question today, please accept my apology. Without further delay, I would now like to welcome Dr. Werth to our chat this evening. Good evening Dr. Werth.
Dr. Werth
It is good to be here and I look forward to your questions.
Moderator
Ok, let’s begin with our first question which comes from CG in Colorado who says: I heard that there are new laser treatments for scarring after you go into remission but what if you can't get into remission?
Dr. Werth
If you are not in remission, then you should wait for laser treatments that would be used for scarring. Some lasers can be used for active disease, but these treatments are still being studied.
Moderator
The next question is from Tina in Hamilton, Ohio. I have had discoid lupus for 20 years. my nose is fully red and the skin is very porous. I am using aclovate and klaron, and taking plaquenil. Will this medicine work for me and what can I expect for the results?
Dr. Werth
There are a lot of good treatments for active lupus that might work better than the laser for widespread lesions. If the nose lesions are related to lupus, then it should get better with plaquenil and topicals. Some people may require different therapy.
Moderator
This question comes from Rose in Ripley, Mississippi: I have had lupus for nine years I am taken Prednisone and Imuran. I have severe skin rashes and I use an ointment to help with this. It used to be just my face and hands now it covers 80% of my body and nothing seems to be working. Is there something else I could to help control this?
Dr. Werth
There are medicines like plaquenil that may work for the skin. There are also other treatments like thalidomide that may be helpful for the skin.
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