Pityriasis Lichenoides Follow-up

  • Author: Peter A Klein, MD; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD   more...
 
Updated: Mar 7, 2012
 

Further Outpatient Care

Patients with a waxing and waning course of Mucha-Habermann disease require follow-up monitoring and additional treatment depending on the severity of the disease.

Regarding the questionable potential for malignant transformation, some authors have suggested that follow-up biopsy should be performed on lesions that last longer than 1 year and are refractory to treatment.

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Deterrence/Prevention

No preventive methods have been identified.

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Complications

Ulceronecrotic pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA) can lead to scarring.

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Prognosis

No clear consensus has been formed regarding duration of the disease, but most cases tend to resolve over time.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Peter A Klein, MD  Residency Program Director, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Jeffrey P Callen, MD  Professor of Medicine (Dermatology), Chief, Division of Dermatology, University of Louisville School of Medicine

Jeffrey P Callen, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, American College of Physicians, and American College of Rheumatology

Disclosure: Amgen Honoraria Consulting; Celgene Honoraria Safety Monitoring Committee

Specialty Editor Board

Gregory J Raugi, MD, PhD  Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of Washington at Seattle School of Medicine; Chief, Dermatology Section, Primary and Specialty Care Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center of Seattle

Gregory J Raugi, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Michael J Wells, MD  Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L Foster School of Medicine

Michael J Wells, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, and Texas Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Daniel S Loo, MD  Associate Professor of Dermatology, Residency Program Director, Department of Dermatology, Tufts Medical Center

Daniel S Loo, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology and Association of Professors of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Catherine M Quirk, MD  Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania

Catherine M Quirk, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha and American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Dirk M Elston, MD  Director, Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology, New York

Dirk M Elston, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous Chief Editor, William D. James, MD, to the development and writing of this article.

References

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Typical hemorrhagic crusted papules of pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta.
Close-up view of typical lesions of pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta.
Scaling papules of pityriasis lichenoides chronica.
Close-up view of typical pityriasis lichenoides chronica lesions. Note papules in different stages of evolution and the scale with frosted-glass appearance in the lower right-hand corner.
 
 
 
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