A Case of Prurigo Pigmentosa

Moon Joung Kim, So Yun Cho, Jeong Hee Hahm

Copyright ⓒ 1998. Ewha Womans University School of Medicine. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published Online: Dec 31, 1998

Abstract

Prurigo pigmentosa is an inflammatory dermatosis characterized by severe pruritic red papules and coarse reticulated hyperpigmentation. More than 300 cases have been reported in Japan and several cases have also been described in Caucasians. It is more common in young adult females, particularly in adolescence, but may sometimes occur in males and older persons. The lesions occur mainly on the trunk and neck with severe itching. The histopathologic findings are not specific but occasionally show lichenoid tissue reaction. The etiology of this disease still remains unknown.

We reported a case of prurigo pigmentosa in a 26-year-old-male, which clinically and histopathologically fulfilled the characteristics of prurigo pigmentosa and was treated with dapsone resulting in significant clinical improvement.

Keywords: Prurigo pigmentosa; Reticulated hyperpigmentation; Dapsone