Febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann's disease with pulmonary involvement

Methotrexate Treatment in Children with Febrile Ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann Disease: Case Report and Literature Review

Febrile Ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease is a rare and potentially fatal variant of pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta and is characterized by high fever, constitutional symptoms, and acute oncet of ulceronecrotic lesions. We present an 11-year-old male with Febrile Ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease who was cured with methotrexate and review the use of methotrexate for this disorder in the pediatric age group with the relevant literature.

Febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease with central nervous system vasculitis

Febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease (FUMHD) is a severe variant of pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA). We report a case of FUMHD in an 11-year-old boy who subsequently developed neurologic symptoms and was found to have necrotizing vasculitis on brain biopsy. Over 5 years of follow-up, he had one biopsy-proven recurrence of his skin lesions and continued rehabilitation and treatment for residual neurologic complications. This case provides histological evidence of central nervous system vasculitis associated with FUMHD. Our patient's disease was eventually controlled with cyclophosphamide.

Assessment of the 'no eosinophils' rule: are eosinophils truly absent in pityriasis lichenoides, connective tissue disease, and graft-vs.-host disease?

Eosinophils are often present in the inflammatory infiltrate of an interface dermatitis, but the diagnostic specificity of eosinophils in interface dermatitis has not been formally evaluated. We retrospectively identified 97 examples of interface dermatitis with clinically confirmed diagnoses, including lupus erythematosus (LE), lichen planus, pityriasis lichenoides (PL), graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), dermatomyositis (DM) and drug reaction. Diagnoses were clinically confirmed by at least two dermatologists. Slides were reviewed in a blinded fashion by at least two dermatopathologists. The average eosinophil count per 10 ×200 (×20 objective) fields was lowest for PL (0.2), DM (0.3), GVHD (0.4), and LE (0.5) [defined as Group 1] and was higher for lichen planus, drug reactions, erythema multiforme (major and minor) and viral exanthems [defined as Group 2]. Distinction between Group 1 and Group 2 was maximized using an eosinophil count cutoff of 1.1. In conclusion, eosinophils are usually rare to absent in PL, DM, most forms of LE and GVHD. While final interpretation requires a composite assessment of all features, our results suggest that the presence of even a single eosinophil within nine or ten ×20 fields argues against a diagnosis of PL, DM or LE.

Febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease in a 34-month-old boy: a case report and review of the literature

We report a case of febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease (FUMHD) in a 34-month-old boy. Our patient had a history of biopsy-proven pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA) since age 2. At 34 months, his skin lesions rapidly progressed to ulceration and necrosis in the setting of high fever. Skin biopsy revealed an intense lichenoid infiltrate with parakeratosis at the edges of areas of epidermal necrosis consistent with FUMHD, which is the severe variant of PLEVA. Despite initial treatment with prednisolone, his disease progressed to involve more than 50% of his body surface area. In addition to corticosteroids, he was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, dapsone, and acyclovir, without complete resolution of disease. Methotrexate successfully cleared his skin disease and systemic symptoms. This patient highlights the exceptional response of FUMHD to methotrexate. Based on our review of the literature, this also represents the youngest reported case of FUMHD.