Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau treated successfully with ustekinumab and acitretin after failure of tumour necrosis factor blockade and anakinra.

ABSTRACT

Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau (ACH) is a rare form of chronic acral pustular eruption. Considered to be a variant of pustular psoriasis, it is a refractory condition that may not respond to conventional treatments. We report herein the case of a 53-year-old patient whose ACH was refractory to all conventional systemic treatment modalities and to anti-tumour necrosis factor. Because he had increased plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, he received anakinra for 7 weeks, without further improvement however. Achievement of complete response was obtained with ustekinumab 90 mg s.c. every 12 weeks combined with acitretin; the plasma level of IL-1ß concomitantly returned to normal. This case report is associated with a review on recent data on ACH treatment with biological agents, including anakinra and ustekinumab.