Guidelines on Genetic Disorders of the Skin and Pediatric Patients, With Yasmine Kirkorian, MD

Two sessions were presented during the 2025 Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) Fall Conference by Yasmine Kirkorian, MD, dermatologist and chief of Dermatology at Children's National Hospital.1,2

In a new interview at this dermatology meeting, Kirkorian highlighted several key takeaways for clinicians on the topics covered in her sessions. First, she was asked about her session ‘The ABC's of Genetic Disorders of the Skin: Guidelines for Recognition and When to Refer.’

“My session focused on genetic skin disorders, and the first section was really thinking through who would even be screened for genetic skin disorders,” Kirkorian explained. “We talked a lot about putting the skin in the context of the child since child development is so critical, and we were looking at their physical growth. [These were] things like head circumference, but also looking at their development.”

Kirkorian also discussed developmental milestones, which can be noted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. She noted a developmental delay, and skin findings can lead to an increase in the likelihood of referring such a child to genetics for evaluation.

“The rest of the lecture focused on more specific genetic syndromes, and we kind of broke it down into those with hyperpigmented birthmarks, those with hypopigmented lesions, those with keratinocytic lesions, and those that are at risk for internal malignancies,” Kirkorian said. “Because you want to catch people early that might have a cancer risk and get them into surveillance.”

Later, Kirkorian was asked about several highlights from her second talk, ‘It's Just a Little Different in Peds: Demystifying Complex Pediatric Dermatology Cases.’

“This session focused on complex medical dermatology in children, and so we looked at a number of conditions, including infections such as herpes simplex virus infections and other cutaneous infections,” Kirkorian said. “I also had a large chunk on reactive infectious mucocutaneous eruptions. That's a mouthful, which we call ‘RIME.’ RIME is a condition that occurs primarily in children, but can occur in adults, where people develop a reactive mucositis of multiple sites, the eyes, the mouth, or the genitals, in the setting of a recent infection. It's quite morbid and people can be hospitalized.”

This condition, Kirkorian noted, can lead to hospitalization among children for several weeks at a time. Early recognition and understanding is necessary, she added.

The quotes used in Kirkorian’s interview summary were edited for clarity.

Kirkorian had no relevant financial disclosures of note.

References

1. Kirkorian Y. The ABC's of Genetic Disorders of the Skin: Guidelines for Recognition and When to Refer. Presented at the Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) Fall Conference, November 5-9, San Antonio, TX.

2. Kirkorian Y. It's Just a Little Different in Peds: Demystifying Complex Pediatric Dermatology Cases. Presented at the Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) Fall Conference, November 5-9, San Antonio, TX.