Prurigo pigmentosa: an underdiagnosed disease?
Prurigo pigmentosa is a distinctive inflammatory disease first described by the Japanese dermatologist Masaji Nagashima in 1971. It is typified by recurrent, pruritic erythematous macules, papules and papulovesicles that resolve leaving behind netlike pigmentation. The disease is rarely diagnosed outside Japan, because clinicians outside Japan are not well conversant with the criteria for its diagnosis. Only one patient from India has been published previously under the diagnosis of prurigo pigmentosa, a hint that the disease may be under-recognized in India. We present an account of our observations in patients diagnosed with prurigo pigmentosa who were of five different nationalities, namely, Japanese, German, Indonesian, Turkish and Iranian. With this article we seek to increase awareness for the condition among dermatologists in India and we provide criteria for its diagnosis, both clinically and histopathologically.
Boer
A
A
Department of Dermatology and Dermatopathology, Dermatologikum, Hamburg, Germany. boer@dermatologikum.de
Asgari
M
M
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003622:Dapsone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008911:Minocycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D011536:Prurigo / Q000150:complications*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D003622:Dapsone; D008911:Minocycline