An infantile case of pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta

Frequent relapses in a child with nephrotic syndrome due to PLEVA

A seven-year-old boy with nephrotic syndrome presented with a frequent rash along with relapse of nephrotic syndrome. Clinical and histological features were suggestive of pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA). Treatment of the condition with doxycycline led to the cure of the lesions as well as the relapses.

Pityriasis Lichenoides in Childhood: Review of Clinical Presentation and Treatment Options

Pityriasis lichenoides (PL) is a skin condition of unclear etiology that occurs not uncommonly in childhood. It is often classified into the acute form, pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA), and the chronic form, pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC). We performed a comprehensive review of the English-language literature using the PubMed database of all cases of childhood PL reported from 1962 to 2014 and summarized the epidemiology, clinical features, treatment options, and prognosis of this condition in children. The proposed etiologies are discussed, including its association with infectious agents, medications, and immunizations and evidence for PL as a lymphoproliferative disorder. We found an average age of PL onset of 6.5 years, with a slight (61%) male predominance. We also found that PLEVA and PLC tend to occur with equal frequency and that, in many cases, there is clinical and histopathologic overlap between the two phenotypes. When systemic therapy is indicated, we propose that oral erythromycin and narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy should be first-line treatment options for children with PL since they have been shown to be effective and well tolerated. In most cases, PL follows a benign course with no greater risk of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, although given the rare case reports of transformation, long-term follow-up of these patients is recommended.

[Febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease with exuberant mucosal involvement: case report]

Pityriasis lichenoides is a rare idiopathic cutaneous disorder, with a clinical-histopathological spectrum comprising the acute varioliform form (Mucha-Habermann's disease), its febrile ulceronecrotic variant, and its chronic form. Systemic manifestations may occur in the febrile ulceronecrotic variant, with reports of adult mortality. The case of a young male patient with clinical and histopathological diagnosis of Mucha-Habermann's disease, febrile ulceronecrotic variant, with severe mucosal involvement - an occasional incidence even in the most severe forms of pityriasis lichenoides - is presented. In addition to the atypical clinical aspect, an excellent therapeutic result is shown with the association of prednisone and methotrexate.