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Morphea‐like cutaneous mucinosis
Author(s) -
Noto Giuseppe,
Pravatà Gabriella,
Aricò Mario
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.1996.tb00578.x
Subject(s) - medicine , morphea , mucinosis , pathology , dermis , erythema , dermatology , reticular connective tissue , lichen sclerosus
A whitish, indurated, oval plaque, lasting for 1.5 year, was observed in the right paraumbilical skin of a middle‐aged man in otherwise good health. No erythema was present or referred. Histological examination revealed massive deposits of a globular, slightly basophilic, amorphous substance in the dermis, accompanied by a slight perivascular mononuclear cell infiltrate and scattered mast cells. Special staining with Alcian blue at pH 2.5 confirmed the intense deposition of mucin involving the entire dermis. sparing epidermis, adnexa and perivascular areas. No abnormal laboratory results indicating lupus erythematosus or thyroid dysfunction were present. Morphea was excluded on clinical and histological grounds. A plaque‐like form of cutaneous mucinosis was diagnosed. Plaque‐like mucinosis and reticular erythematous mucinosis (REM) syndrome are currently considered to be the same disease, although some authors noted a different response lo treatment. Clinical presentation of our case was unusual: no erythema preceded or accompanied the plaque growth, which had a whitish, indurated, morphea‐like appearance from the beginning but with preservation of hair follicles, quite different from archetypical REM syndrome based on clinical grounds.