Peculiar Erythematous Hyperkeratotic Lesions in 2 siblings

presented by Henry Foong FRCP (1) Samer Ghosn MD (2)

and Jag Bhawan MD (3)

on December 11, 2004

(1) Consultant Dermatologist, Foong Skin Specialist Clinic, Ipoh, PK, Malaysia

(2) Fellow in Dermatopathology, Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

(3) Professor of Dermatology and Pathology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

Abstracts

1: Arata J et al. Peculiar facial erythematosquamous lesions in two siblings with cyclical summer improvement and winter relapse: a variant of keratosis lichenoides chronica? J Am Acad Dermatol 1993 May;28(5 Pt 2):870-3

A 7-year-old girl had erythematous hyperkeratotic papules and plaques that improved in summer and recurred in winter since the age of 4 months. She had had irregular, ridge-like erythematosquamous lesions on the arms with the same seasonal variation. The lesions on the arms improved with age. Light and electron microscopic examination showed marked degeneration of keratinocytes and prominent apoptosis. Her older brother had a similar but milder dermatosis. We believe these cases may represent a variant of keratosis lichenoides chronica.

2. Konstantinov K et al. Keratosis lichenoides chronica. J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;38:306-9

Keratosis lichenoides chronica is a rare dermatosis characterized by a distinctive seborrheic dermatitis–like facial eruption, together with violaceous, papular, and nodular lesions on the extremities and trunk typically arranged in a linear and reticulate pattern. We describe a patient with KLC who had the typical features of this disease and responded partially to treatment with oral isotretinoin.

3. Torrelo A, Mediero I, Zambrano A. Keratosis lichenoides chronica in a child. Pediatr Dermatol 1994;11:46-8.

4. Patrizi A, Neri I, Passarini B, Varotti C. Keratosis lichenoides chronica: a pediatric case. Dermatology 1995;191:264-7.