PITYRIASIS RUBRA PILARIS

Diagnosis: PITYRIASIS RUBRA PILARIS

Case submitted by Dr.Azeem Alam Khan to the dermRounds community.

Clinical Presentation

Clinical photograph(s) submitted for peer review and discussion.

Clinical History

Submitted by Dr.Azeem Alam Khan. Originally posted October 7, 2010.

Treatment

See case discussion.

Differential Diagnosis

• Psoriasis (especially erythrodermic) • Seborrheic dermatitis • Mycosis fungoides (erythrodermic) • Drug eruption • Dermatomyositis • Lichen planus

Key Learnings

• Characteristic orange-red scaly plaques with "islands of sparing" within areas of erythema • Classic type I (adult): cephalocaudal progression, perifollicular keratotic papules, waxy palmoplantar keratoderma • "Nutmeg grater" papules on dorsal fingers — follicular hyperkeratosis • Six subtypes (Griffiths classification): types I and III most common • Palmoplantar keratoderma: waxy, orange-colored — often first or prominent feature • May evolve to erythroderma — "skip areas" of normal skin within erythema help distinguish from psoriasis • Some cases associated with HIV — check in new-onset PRP

Tags: pityriasis, rubra, pilaris, dr.azeem alam khan