Disseminate and Recurrent Infundibular Folliculitis: Case Report and Literature Review

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 1 case of disseminate and recurrent infundibular folliculitis (DRIF) in our hospital and 31 cases of DRIF reported in previous domestic and international studies. There were 32 cases, including 22 males and 10 females, with a mean age of onset of 24.72 ± 13.68 years. Skin lesions were more likely to occur on the trunk and proximal extremities and may involve the face, neck, and genitals. Typical histopathology revealed mild thickening and spongy edema of the spinous layer, different degrees of pigmentation increase in the basal layer, and mild to moderate spongy edema and inflammatory cell infiltration (predominantly lymphocytes and neutrophils) in the infundibulum and around the hair follicle. DRIF is a chronic disease more prevalent in young men of African descent and individuals with Fitzpatrick skin types 4-6. This disease is diagnosed based on clinical features and histopathology and is preferentially treated with retinoids.

Transfollicular elimination of sebaceous glands in a patient with disseminate and recurrent infundibulofolliculitis

Disseminate and recurrent infundibulofolliculitis (DRIF) is a rare form of folliculitis characterized by multiple papules widely distributed on the trunk and extremities. We present a 37-year-old man with confirmed DRIF complicated by transfollicular elimination of the sebaceous unit, an additional finding of DRIF that has rarely been reported.

Disseminate and Recurrent Infundibulofolliculitis

Three patients, one female and two males, aged 18, 45, and 25 years, respectively, presented with the complaint of skin-colored papules interspersed with pustular lesions over the anterior and lateral aspect of the neck and upper chest for 2, 8, and 6 months, respectively. Histopathologically, mononuclear cell infiltrate centered over the infundibulum of the hair follicle was seen which confirmed the diagnosis of disseminate and recurrent infundibulofolliculitis. We report this case due to its rarity, especially in the Indian population in which less than five case reports have been published. We also report a specific pattern of lesions along the neck skin creases which can serve as an aid to increase the index of suspicion for diagnosing this entity.