Clinical Findings and Recurrence Rates according to Associated Factors in Prurigo Pigmentosa / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Prurigo pigmentosa (PP) is a chronic recurrent dermatosis that occurs in young adults and is characterized by pruritic erythematous macules and papules that leave reticular hyperpigmentation. Although there have been a few comprehensive studies, the clinical characteristics and recurrence rates have not been fully elucidated. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical findings and recurrence rates according to the factors associated with PP. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records, photographs, and histopathological slides of 67 patients who were diagnosed with PP between March 2005 and March 2013. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the recurrence rates between the group without associated factors and the group with associated factors (contact, diet/weight loss, and sweat, respectively). RESULTS: PP associated with contact showed localized involvement and transverse direction of the lesions; however, the PP lesions associated with diet or weight loss showed diffuse involvement. PP associated with sweat showed a tendency to be distributed in the flexural area and depressed area with longitudinal direction of the lesions. The recurrence rate of the group with no associated factors was 45.7%, while that of the group with associated factors was 33.3%. Within this group, the recurrence rate was 23.1% (3/13) for the contact group, 27.3% (3/11) for the diet/weight loss group, and 50% (4/8) for the sweat group. However, the differences in recurrence rates were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: We suspect that there are differences in the clinical characteristics according to the factors associated with PP. Although the differences in recurrence rates according to the factors associated with PP were not statistically significant, we suspect that further research with a larger sample size will show that the differences are in fact present.