Acquired disorders with hypopigmentation: A clinical approach to diagnosis and treatment.

Acquired hypopigmented skin changes are commonly encountered by dermatologists. Although hypopigmentation is often asymptomatic and benign, occasional serious and disabling conditions present with cutaneous hypopigmentation. A thorough history and physical examination, centered on disease distribution and morphologic findings, can aid in delineating the causes of acquired hypopigmented disorders. The second article in this 2-part continuing medical education series focuses on conditions with a hypopigmented phenotype. Early diagnosis and appropriate management of these disorders can improve a patient's quality of life, halt disease progression, and prevent irreversible disability.

Presentations, Signs of Activity, and Differential Diagnosis of Vitiligo.

Vitiligo has a variety of presentations, including focal, acrofacial, segmental, and generalized forms. Thorough knowledge of these presentations is important to make the correct diagnosis. Signs of activity are important to recognize so that treatment is optimized. Clinical findings of confettilike depigmentation, trichrome and inflammatory vitiligo, and the Koebner phenomenon should alert the clinician that a patient's disease is likely to worsen. These patients may require systemic treatment to stabilize their disease. Many other skin disorders present with hypopigmentation or depigmentation and must be distinguished to determine the right diagnosis, advise the patient on prognosis, and prescribe the correct treatment.

Hypopigmented macules: leprosy, atopy or pityriasis versicolor?

Lepromatous leprosy (LL) represents the highest infective and multibacillary form of leprosy. Clinical manifestations are consequent to the haematogenous spread of bacilli and include macules, plaques and nodules in a symmetric distribution or a diffuse infiltration of the skin. LL may mimic many different inflammatory and neoplastic skin diseases and in a small percentage of patients, skin manifestation may be atypical. This article reports the case of a South American child with LL presenting with symmetrically distributed hypopigmented macules previously misdiagnosed as pytiriasis alba, atopic dermatitis and pityriasis versicolor. Atopy and pityriasis versicolor are common skin conditions that can be also observed in leprosy patients and that can masquerade the diagnosis of LL, especially if occurring in dark skin. Dermatologists in Europe should be aware of this unusual form of presentation of leprosy and must take in mind Hansen disease in the differential diagnosis in patients coming from endemic areas.

[Combination of three cutaneous diseases in Mayotte]. / Une triple atteinte dermatologique a Mayotte.

This report describes the case of a young woman from Mayotte (Comoros Islands) who presented a combination of three cutaneous diseases, i.e. pityriasis versicolor, scabies, and multibacillary leprosy. Symptoms of leprosy were concealed by those of the other two diseases. After multidrug therapy for leprosy, the patient developed erythema nodosum leprosum that was successfully treated using pentoxifylline. Combination of cutaneous diseases can alter usual presentations and lead to misdiagnosis. It is important to take into account possible disease combination to establish proper diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment.