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Diffuse Cutaneous Eruption

Educational Objective
Based on this clinical scenario and the accompanying image, understand how to arrive at a correct diagnosis.
1 Credit CME

A 70-year-old man presented to the dermatology clinic for evaluation of a pruritic exanthem that began on his scalp and face and spread across most of his body over a 2-month period. The patient had no fever, night sweats, fatigue, recent unintentional weight loss, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. He reported no new prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, or herbal supplements prior to the onset of the exanthem. He had no history of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, or other skin disorder, and no recent viral or bacterial infection. On presentation, his temperature was 37.1 °C (98.7 °F); blood pressure, 128/86 mm Hg; heart rate, 110/min; and respiratory rate, 30/min. Physical examination revealed confluent salmon-colored plaques composed of folliculocentric scaly papules across his body with several patches of unaffected skin on his trunk. The patient had waxy, exfoliative scale on the volar aspect of his hands and feet and thickened, onycholytic nails. Severe ectropion prevented complete eyelid closure (Figure). He was referred to the emergency department, where laboratory testing revealed a normal complete blood cell count and normal lactate dehydrogenase level. The patient was admitted to the hospital and was treated with intravenous fluids and daily wet-wrap therapy with topical triamcinolone ointment (0.1%) applied to his trunk, arms, and legs, followed by a layer of warm, damp gauze and dry, cotton pajamas.

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A 70-year-old man presented to the dermatology clinic for evaluation of a pruritic exanthem that began on his scalp and face and spread across most of his body over a 2-month period. The patient had no fever, night sweats, fatigue, recent unintentional weight loss, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. He reported no new prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, or herbal supplements prior to the onset of the exanthem. He had no history of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, or other skin disorder, and no recent viral or bacterial infection. On presentation, his temperature was 37.1 °C (98.7 °F); blood pressure, 128/86 mm Hg; heart rate, 110/min; and respiratory rate, 30/min. Physical examination revealed confluent salmon-colored plaques composed of folliculocentric scaly papules across his body with several patches of unaffected skin on his trunk. The patient had waxy, exfoliative scale on the volar aspect of his hands and feet and thickened, onycholytic nails. Severe ectropion prevented complete eyelid closure (Figure). He was referred to the emergency department, where laboratory testing revealed a normal complete blood cell count and normal lactate dehydrogenase level. The patient was admitted to the hospital and was treated with intravenous fluids and daily wet-wrap therapy with topical triamcinolone ointment (0.1%) applied to his trunk, arms, and legs, followed by a layer of warm, damp gauze and dry, cotton pajamas.

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Article Information

Corresponding Author: Ruth Ann Vleugels, MD, MPH, MBA, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115 (rvleugels@bwh.harvard.edu).

Published Online: June 12, 2023. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.7322

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Additional Information: We thank the patient for providing permission to share his information.

References
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Tso  S , Satchwell  F , Moiz  H ,  et al.  Erythroderma (exfoliative dermatitis), part 1: underlying causes, clinical presentation and pathogenesis.   Clin Exp Dermatol. 2021;46(6):1001-1010. doi:10.1111/ced.14625PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
2.
Tso  S , Moiz  H , Satchwell  F ,  et al.  Erythroderma (exfoliative dermatitis), part 2: energy homeostasis and dietetic management strategies.   Clin Exp Dermatol. 2021;46(6):1011-1015. doi:10.1111/ced.14667PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Roenneberg  S , Biedermann  T .  Pityriasis rubra pilaris: algorithms for diagnosis and treatment.   J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2018;32(6):889-898. doi:10.1111/jdv.14761PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Wang  D , Chong  VC , Chong  WS , Oon  HH .  A review on pityriasis rubra pilaris.   Am J Clin Dermatol. 2018;19(3):377-390. doi:10.1007/s40257-017-0338-1PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Pityriasis rubra pilaris. National Institutes of Health. Accessed March 29, 2023. http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/7401/pityriasis-rubra-pilaris/
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Ringin  SA , Daniel  BS .  Treatment modalities for pityriasis rubra pilaris subtypes: a review.   J Dermatolog Treat. 2022;33(1):587-588. doi:10.1080/09546634.2020.1729954PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Feldmeyer  L , Mylonas  A , Demaria  O ,  et al.  Interleukin 23-helper T cell 17 axis as a treatment target for pityriasis rubra pilaris.   JAMA Dermatol. 2017;153(4):304-308. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.5384PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Maloney  NJ , Hisaw  LD , Worswick  S .  Type I pityriasis rubra pilaris treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, ustekinumab, or secukinumab: a review.   J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018;79(3):585-587. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.02.063PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
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Napolitano  M , Abeni  D , Didona  B .  Biologics for pityriasis rubra pilaris treatment: a review of the literature.   J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018;79(2):353-359. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.03.036PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

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