QUIZ SECTION
667 Advances in dermatology and venereology
ActaDV Acta Dermato-Venereologica ActaDV
Sudden Onset of an Itchy Papular Eruption : A Quiz
Manuel P . PEREIRA , Dieter METZE and Sonja STÄNDER Department of Dermatology , Center for Chronic Pruritus , University Hospital Münster , Von-Esmarch-Str . 58 , DE-48149 Munster , Germany . E-mail : sonja . staender @ uni-muenster . de
A 47-year-old man presented with generalized pruritus , which had developed 15 years earlier and was continuously present with exacerbations during the day . The itch had begun on the chest and spread to the entire body . An itch intensity score of 7 on a visual analogue scale ( VAS , 0 – 10 ) was reported during exacerbations . The patient had no known allergies , rhinoconjunctivitis or allergic asthma . Other than an enlarged thyroid , no other health issues were reported and iodine was the only regular medication .
Upon inspection , multiple small isolated skin-coloured papules could be seen , mostly in frontal and lateral aspects of the trunk ( Fig . 1 ).
Since the onset of the disease 15 years previously the skin condition and the pruritus had been treated intermittently with topical steroids and antihistamine , respectively , with no substantial alleviation of symptoms .
What is your diagnosis ? See next page for answer .
Fig . 1 . ( A ) Multiple isolated skin-coloured or slightly red itchy flat papules distributed mostly across the frontal and lateral trunk . ( B ) Close-up of typical lesions seen in the condition shown in A ( not the same patient ).
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license . www . medicaljournals . se / acta Journal Compilation © 2017 Acta Dermato-Venereologica . doi : 10.2340 / 00015555-2588 Acta Derm Venereol 2017 ; 97 : 667 – 668