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Case of Seborrhoeic dermatitis
A 27 years old male patient Mr. S. D.
(Patient Ref. No. L6929), reported to the clinic with
complaints of eruptions on the scalp since 7 years. He had
multiple, small, erythematous patches on the scalp with
yellowish greasy scales. The condition would get worse
almost every three months and it would appear in a severe
form. The condition would get worse during the monsoon and
after washing the hair. His condition had been diagnosed as
seborrhoeic dermatitis by his dermatologist and he had been
put on local antifungal drugs and topical steroids.
He also complained of erythematous rashes on his palms since
2 weeks. There was burning of the palms but there was no
significant itching.
His appetite was average and he had marked desire for
chocolates, ice-creams and spicy foods. He smoked about 5-7
cigarettes daily since last 8 years. He would take alcohol
about twice every week. His thirst for water was normal and
he would prefer chilled water. Perspiration would be profuse
and generalized (all over the body). His bowel and bladder
functions were normal. He could not tolerate much of heat
and would be more comfortable in the cold weather. His sleep
would be sound with no particular dreams.
He stayed alone in the city and his parents and his siblings
stayed in another town. He was an IT professional and was
employed with a private firm.
He said that he didn't have very good relations with his
family members and did not have a strong bond with any of
them. His father was a dominating person and so he was not
on very good terms with his father. He said he had to
struggle a lot to establish himself in life. He was fond of
various things like reading, cooking, partying, watching
movies, etc. He had great love for music and wanted to
become a pianist but his father always insisted that he
should follow his instructions and work accordingly. He was
fond of being in company and would not prefer to remain
alone. He was doing well professionally but there was much
workload there and he would be frequently frustrated with
the kind of politics going on in his company. He would feel
sad about his relations with his parents which were not very
good. He would also feel angry about this sometimes but
would not express his anger. He would be relieved by loud
music when he would get angry. He wanted to marry a girl but
since she was from a different social strata, this was not
approved by his parents and so he had much stress about this
aspect of his life too.
He had suffered from viral fever almost 20 - 30 times in the
previous year and from tonsillitis in childhood. His father
was hypertensive and his mother had arthritis. His maternal
grandfather had died of renal failure and his sister had
milk intolerance.
Based on the above history patient was
prescribed Staphysagria 200 along with a dose of Psorinum
1M. In his first follow up after 6 weeks his scalp eruptions
were slightly better than before and so was the itching. The
rashes on his hands were much better than before. At the end
of 4 months of treatment his seborrhoeic dermatitis was more
than 50% better. He said that this was the first time in
last 7 years that he was off local anti-fungal applications
and steroids. And in spite of the winter setting in around
that time he did not get his usual aggravation as expected.
The rashes on his hands had completely disappeared by now.
He had to continue treatment for few more months for
complete recovery from the scalp lesions.
Remark:
The remedy prescribed in these cases is
patient-specific i.e. it has been prescribed based on the
symptoms specific to the patient at that point of time. It
is advisable that the patient does not indulge in any
self-medication. |
