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A comparative histopathological study of polymorphic eruption of pregnancy and herpes gestationis
Author(s) -
HOLMES R.C.,
JURECKA W.,
BLACK M.M.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
clinical and experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1365-2230
pISSN - 0307-6938
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2230.1983.tb01819.x
Subject(s) - spongiosis , histopathology , parakeratosis , acanthosis , pathology , medicine , pregnancy , eosinophilic , dermatology , biology , hyperkeratosis , genetics
Summary We have compared the histopathological findings in twenty‐five patients with polymorphic eruption of pregnancy and eighteen patients with herpes gestationis. The histopathology of polymorphic eruption of pregnancy varied with the clinical stage of the eruption. In the early lesions there was epidermal and upper dermal oedema with a perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltrate. The fully developed lesions demonstrated vesicular spongiosis, and, in one case, suhepidermal vesicle formation. Eosinophils were frequently present in the perivascular infiltrate and in two cases there was eosinophilic spongiosis. In the resolving stage of the eruption there was acanthosis and foci of parakeratosis. These histopathological features were indistinguishable from those of the urticarial lesions of herpes gestationis. It was only in the presence of large bullac that the two disorders could he differentiated histopathologically. This finding emphasizes the importance of immunonuorescence studies in the investigation of urticarial eruptions occurring during pregnancy.