© 2022 Indian Journal of Dermatology | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow 279
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Abstract
The term toponym means any name that is derived from a place name. Numerous dermatological
conditions have their names derived from geographic places. Although most conditions may
have some association to the place they have been derived from, some of them are fortuitous.
Key Words: Toponyms, dermatology, places
Toponyms in Dermatology
Heera Ramesh, Sachin Somashekar
1
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DOI: 10.4103/ijd.ijd_71_22
The term toponym means any name that is derived from
a place name. Numerous dermatological conditions have
their names derived from geographic places. Although
most conditions may have some association with the
place they have been derived from, some of them are
fortuitous. Here is a list of toponyms with explanations.
Here, we have compiled a list of toponyms through the
literature search in various dermatology dictionaries,
textbooks and PubMed databases.
• Acroangiodermatitis of Mali: The term was first
introduced by Mali et al. in 1965. Mali is also a
country in West Africa. Acroangiodermatitis (synonym
pseudo‑Kaposi sarcoma) is an angioproliferative
entity, usually related to chronic venous insufficiency
or arteriovenous malformations of the legs.
[1]
• African Endemic Kaposi sarcoma: It is a type
of Kaposi sarcoma that is endemic to Africa,
characterized by nodular, florid, infiltrative and
lymphadenopathic types. It predominantly affects
children and young adults and follows a fulminant
course.
[2]
• African eye worm infection: It is an infection
caused by a nematode, loa loa and hence also
called loiasis. It is prevalent in West Africa and is
characterized by pruritis and migration of worms
under the skin.
[3]
• African histoplasmosis: It is an invasive fungal
infection caused by Histoplasma capsulatum endemic
in central and West Africa.
[4]
• African tick bite fever: It is caused by Rickettsiae
africae, characterized by the presence of multiple
tick bites, multiple eschars, lymphadenopathy and
lymphangitis.
[5]
• African trypanosomiasis: A parasitic infection
caused by Trypanosoma brucei, which is transmitted
by tsetse fly and is characterized by the presence
of painful chancre on skin, later undergoes
haemolymphatic spread.
[6]
• Aleppo boil: Aleppo is a city in Syria and this is
another name for cutaneous leishmaniasis.
[7]
• American hookworm infection: It is a parasitic
infection caused by Ancylostoma duodenale and
Necator americanus. Cutaneous manifestations are
present during the penetration phase and invasive
phase. They usually present as papulovesicles to
frank bullous rash at the site of penetration with
localized to generalized urticarial rash during the
larva migration.
[8]
• American trypanosomiasis: It is caused by
Trypanosoma cruzi, and this disease is endemic
to rural areas of Central and South America.
Characterized by three stages, cutaneous urticarial
rash is usually seen in the first stage along with
fever, lymphadenopathy, painful inflammatory
reaction at the site of inoculation and ulcerated
nodules.
[9]
From the Department of
Dermatology, Venereology and
Leprosy, Karnataka Institute
of Medical Sciences, Hubli,
Karnataka,
1
Gulbarga Institute
of Medical Sciences, Kalaburagi,
Karnataka, India
Address for correspondence:
Dr. Heera Ramesh,
PB Road, Vidyanagar,
Hubli ‑ 580 022, Karnataka,
India.
E‑mail:
[email protected]
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How to cite this article: Ramesh H, Somashekar S. Toponyms in
dermatology. Indian J Dermatol 2022;67:279-82.
Received: January, 2022. Accepted: April, 2022.
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