Background@#
Chronic actinic dermatitis is a rare, acquired, persistent eczematous eruption of photo-distributed areas.There are limited data available on the clinical characteristics of Korean
patients diagnosed with
chronic actinic dermatitis. @*Objective@#To evaluate the clinical features and
prognosis of
chronic actinic dermatitis patients in
Korea. @*
Methods@#Sixty-two Korean
patients diagnosed with
chronic actinic dermatitis through clinical findings, phototesting, and
skin biopsy from six
hospitals were included in this study, and their clinical characteristics were evaluated. @*Results@#Among the 62
patients, 51 were
men, and the mean age at
diagnosis was 60.3±12.8 years. Phototesting was performed for 27
patients, with results available for 18
patients.
Patch tests were performed for only 4.8% of the
patients.
Skin pathology tests were performed for 47
patients and showed the following spongiosis, acanthosis, actinic elastosis, and pseudo-lymphomatous change. Twelve
patients were clinically diagnosed without using diagnostic tools such as phototesting,
patch testing, and
skin biopsy. The most commonly used systemic
treatments were
antihistamine,
cyclosporine,
steroid, and
azathioprine. Although avoiding ultraviolet irradiation and outdoor activities are critical, only 22.6% of
patients used
sunscreen. @*Conclusion@#Although phototesting is highly recommended for diagnosing
chronic actinic dermatitis, phototesting was performed for less than half of the
patients to
diagnose chronic actinic dermatitis.
Patch tests and photopatch tests are also recommended to disclose a causative agent.