Papuloerythroderma of Ofuji associated with acute myeloid leukaemia

Papuloerythroderma of Ofuji

Papuloerythroderma of Ofuji (PEO) is a rare skin condition first described in 1984 and characterized by diffuse erythroderma composed of papules coalescing into plaques with sparing of skin folds, known as the deck-chair sign. The disease is almost exclusively seen in the elderly and affects men more frequently than women. Common laboratory findings include peripheral and tissue eosinophilia, elevated levels of immunoglobulin E, and lymphopenia. The diagnosis entails exclusion of potentially causative pathologies, including drug intake, atopy, malignancy, and infection. These factors have frequently been found in association with PEO, but their role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease is poorly understood. A dysregulated immune system, with particular involvement of T-helper (Th)2 and Th22 cells, seems to be important in the development of PEO. Controversy exists as to whether PEO exists as an independent entity or as a clinical pattern of a variety of distinct conditions. Treatment necessitates first addressing any coexisting circumstances that may have a causal relationship with PEO. In idiopathic cases, topical and oral corticosteroids, ultraviolet light therapies, and immunosuppressive/immunomodulating therapies have been used with variable results. Future studies are needed to further understand the disease process and to establish guidelines for diagnostic workup and treatment.

Skin diseases described in Japan 2004. In Japan beschriebene Dermatosen 2004

During the last century of modern dermatology, more than 30 skin diseases have been described first by physicians from Japan. Many of those conditions were disorders of pigmentation and keratinization, which are quite common in Oriental patients. Since the late 1940s, a number of skin diseases first reported in Japan have gained attention internationally among them being Kimura disease, hypomelanosis of Ito, Kawasaki disease, adult T-cell leukemia/ lymphoma, eosinophilic pustular folliculitis, prurigo pigmentosa, and Ofuji's papuloerythroderma. In this article, we review skin diseases that were first established as distinct entities in Japan, in order to familiarize readers of the Western literature with these conditions.