Diagnostic and management challenges of erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp: a retrospective study in Greek population

Erosive Pustular Dermatosis: Delving into Etiopathogenesis and Management

Erosive pustular dermatosis (EPD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that usually affects mature individuals. It predominantly affects the scalp and can lead to scarring alopecia. Risk factors include actinic damage and androgenetic alopecia. A traumatic insult to the skin is considered a vital trigger of the condition. EPD is a diagnosis of exclusion; thus, several neoplastic, infectious, vesiculobullous, and inflammatory conditions should be ruled out. Biopsy and clinicopathologic correlation are required to differentiate between EPD and these entities. A dysregulated, chronic immune response is considered central to the etiopathogenesis of EPD. We performed an evidence-based systematic review of the management options. There were predominantly studies with level IV and V evidence and only two with level III. Despite the responsiveness of EPD to potent topical steroids, such as clobetasol propionate, recurrence occurs after treatment withdrawal. With the available data, tacrolimus 0.1%, curettage-assisted aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy, and systemic retinoids can be considered second-line options for EPD with a role in maintenance regimens. However, controlled data and more powerful studies are needed to make solid recommendations.

Erosive Pustular Dermatosis of the Scalp: A Clinicopathologic Study of Fifty Cases

Erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp (EPDS) is an uncommon, pustular, idiopathic disorder typically occurring on the scalp of the elderly, whose diagnosis requires close clinicopathologic correlations. Recently, the primary histopathologic characteristic of EPDS has been identified in some biopsies from hair-bearing scalp lesions as a sterile, vesiculo-pustule involving the infundibulum of hair follicles. To further delineate the clinicopathologic spectrum of the disease, we led a retrospective study of 50 patients (36 males and 14 females) with a diagnosis of EPDS between 2011 and 2021, reviewing clinical and histopathological data. Androgenetic alopecia was present in 32 patients. Triggering factors were present in 21 patients. The vertex was the most common location; one patient also had leg involvement. Two cases were familial. Disease presentation varied markedly from tiny, erosive, scaly lesions to crusted and hemorrhagic plaques, mimicking pustular pyoderma gangrenosum (PPG). Biopsies of patients with severe androgenetic or total baldness produced specimens showing nonspecific pathologic changes (39/50), while in 11 patients with a hair-bearing scalp histopathologic examination, changes were specific. The clinicopathologic similarities between EPDS and PPG suggest that EPDS should be included in the spectrum of autoinflammatory dermatoses. Clinicians could consider the possibility of associated disorders rather than managing EPDS as a sui generis skin disorder.