title: Analysis of the lymphocytic infiltrate in a case of vitiligo.
abstract: We report a case of vitiligo notable for a degree and pattern of lymphocytic inflammation. Hypopigmentation and subsequent depigmentation developed in a 65-year-old man. Initial skin biopsy specimen from the border of a patch of hypopigmentation revealed a moderately dense perivascular and interstitial infiltrate of lymphocytes with exocytosis into epidermis and follicular epithelium. The pattern of the infiltrate suggested the diagnosis of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma or connective-tissue disease. Immunophenotypic analysis revealed a mature T-cell population with retention of pan-T-cell markers. Analysis of the T-cell receptor genome did not identify a rearranged clone. Six months later, the clinical and histologic findings were typical in a noninflamed lesion of vitiligo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abanmi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004817:Epidermis / Q000473:pathology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005089:Exocytosis; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D017496:Hypopigmentation / Q000473:pathology; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007249:Inflammation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell