title: Pityriasis rosea: a natural history of pediatric cases in theCentral Anatolia Region of Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the demographic, clinical, and epidemiological features of pityriasis rosea (PR) in a cohort of 46 children in Yozgat, a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six children with PR were monitored at regular intervals (1, 2, 4, and 12 weeks) for 3 months from the time of diagnosis. A complete evaluation of the patient was performed at each visit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age of patients at time of diagnosis was 12 ± 3.9 years. Cases were most common in the winter (rainy, snowy months; n = 14, 31%). Fifteen patients had a medical history significant for the presence of upper respiratory tract infection, while skin PR manifestations were preceded by drug intake in a second group of 15 patients. The presence of a herald patch was observed in 78.3% of patients, most frequently on the trunk (n = 23). Pruritus occurred in 75% of patients. Median PR duration was 3 weeks (range: 1-20 weeks).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The course of PR is similar in Turkish children and adults. The high prevalence of pruritus in children with PR in Turkey was also significant. Further evaluation of this finding comparing adults and children is now required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Çölgeçen
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey.
authors.forename: Çiğdem
authors.initials: Ç
authors.lastname: Kader
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kayseri Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yılmaz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ulaş
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Erdem Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pınar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Öztürk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Öznur
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Küçük
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Bolu İzzet Baysal State Hospital, Bolu, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balcı
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D017515:Pityriasis Rosea; D015995:Prevalence; D011537:Pruritus; D012621:Seasons; D014421:Turkey
keywords: Children; clinical features; pityriasis rosea