Case scenario

One of your regular patients, Angela, 43, comes to see you. She has just seen her doctor about some redness and cracking at the corners of her mouth, which has been present for 3–4 days. Her doctor has told her that it is called ‘angular cheilitis’ and that she should buy some antifungal cream to treat it.

You are aware that Angela is taking iron supplements and also has coeliac disease. She is not taking any other medicines, has no other medical conditions, and is not pregnant or breastfeeding.  

Learning objectives

After successful completion of this CPD activity, pharmacists should be able to:

  • Describe the presenting symptoms and management of angular cheilitis
  • Discuss differential diagnoses and when referral is required
  • Explain how pharmacists can translate knowledge into practice when managing patients with angular cheilitis.

Competency standards (2016) addressed: 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2.3, 3.2, 3.5

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Introduction

Angular cheilitis is a common condition that presents as redness or maceration at the corners of the mouth.1,2 It is an inflammatory condition, and often has a fungal and/or bacterial cause.1–3 Angular cheilitis may also be known as angular stomatitis, angulus infectiosus, cheilosis or perleche (perlèche).2,4 As primary healthcare professionals, pharmacists are often asked about different dermatological conditions.5 Pharmacists need to be able to diagnose angular cheilitis, advise patients on cau

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