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 childhood
Causes
Most 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 to
Genetic conditions:

1. Ichthyosis vulgaris 95% -autosomal dominant
2. Ichthyosis lamellaris - autosomal recessive usually in newborns
3. Bullous Ichthyosis - autosomal dominant
   This 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:
4. Atopic dermatitis,
5. Asthma,
6. Keratosis pilaris (small bumps on the back of the arms),
7. Other skin disorders.
   Other inherited forms of fish scale disease (Ichthyosis) are very rare and are:
8. X-linked ichthyosis –-sex linked recessive
   This only affects males and includes general scaling, particularly over the limbs, neck and buttocks
9. Harlequins Ichthyosis -autosomal recessive
   This is extremely rare, but the scaling is severe and requires intensive care at birth
10. Syndromes that include ichthyosis – such as Netherton's syndrome or Sjogren-Larsson syndrome
11. Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma
    Fish 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 surface
    b. Bullous ichthyosiform erythroderma – inflamed, scaly skin with fluid-filled blisters that may become infected and produce a foul-smelling skin odor
    c. Lamellar ichthyosis – where the skin is not as red, but the scales are tighter and larger to the skin
    In 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:
12. Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid)
13. Kidney disease
14. Sarcoidosis – a rare disease that causes clumps of cells to form in the organs
15. Lymphoma – a type of cancer
16. HIV infection

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Fish Scale Disease (Ichthyosis)
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Melasma
Chapter 8 Freckles
Epilogue