By Disease Name > Actinic Prurigo

Actinic Prurigo

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•probably an “excoriated” variant of PMLE
•most commonly seen in Native Americans of Central and North America
•begins in childhood (75% have positive family history)
•intensely pruritic and eczematous;  becomes impetiginized
•photo-distributed; most commonly girls
•does not harden,  often resolves within 5 years
•treatment = low dose thalidomide (drug of choice)

 

ddx summary:

•actinic prurigo (eczematous) (girls); probably an “excoriated” variant of PMLE
•hydroa vacciniforme (papulovesicular) (boys); might represent a “scarring” variant of PMLE

 

histology:

•similar to PMLE:  mild acanthosis, exocytosis and spongiosis with moderate lymphohistiocytic infiltrate (biopsy rarely aids diagnosis)

hereditary pmle

•native Americans;  autosomal dominant
•indistinguishable clinically from AP except that it persists much more frequently into adulthood