CAQ-Derm case studies
CAQ-Derm · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) is a specialty credential offered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), the only certifying organization for PAs in the United States. NCCPA describes the CAQ pathway as a way for PAs to "show your advanced expertise in your specialty," and the Dermatology CAQ is the dermatology-specific option within that family of specialty certificates. The CAQ-Derm case studies are 5 cases and about 3,468 words.
1Choosing a biologic in psoriasis with latent TB and past hepatitis B
A 58-year-old man with plaque psoriasis since age 30 returns after a 3-month trial of narrowband UVB three times weekly (BSA 18%, PASI 16, DLQI 19) and an earlier 6-month methotrexate course stopped for transaminase elevation to twice the upper limit of normal. He has never taken cyclosporine or acitretin.
566 words, about 3 min2A dark plantar macule in a patient with Fitzpatrick type V skin
A 34-year-old woman with Fitzpatrick type V skin is seen for a routine skin check. She mentions a mole on the sole of her right foot that her husband says looks darker than a year ago, though she is not certain it has changed.
749 words, about 4 min3Fever and clustered vesicles in a toddler with atopic dermatitis
A 14-month-old boy with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis since 4 months of age, managed with emollients and intermittent topical corticosteroids, is brought in with 3 days of fever to 38.7 C, poor feeding, and a striking eruption on the face and neck. Examination shows his usual flexural eczematous patches plus, on both cheeks, the perioral area, and the anterior neck, tightly clustered 1-2 mm monomorphic umbilicated vesicles and punched-out erosions, some with hemorrhagic crusts.
703 words, about 4 min4Pruritic bullae in an older adult with diabetes and CKD
A 77-year-old woman presents with 6 weeks of an intensely pruritic eruption. She describes water blisters on the abdomen, thighs, and forearms that rupture and leave crusts.
735 words, about 4 min5Fever, facial edema, and eosinophilia after lamotrigine with valproate
A 42-year-old man of Han Chinese ancestry is admitted with 5 days of fever to 39.4 C, a diffuse pruritic morbilliform eruption covering roughly 60% of body surface area with facial edema, and painful mouth erosions with a hemorrhagic crust on the lip. He began lamotrigine 7 weeks ago for bipolar disorder and escalated from 25 mg to 100 mg daily over 2 weeks.
715 words, about 4 min