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| Fig. 7.7 Pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta. Characteristic polymorphic appearance with red scaly papules, hemorrhagic papules, and necrotic papules. |
Pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA or Mucha-Habermann disease) is a rare disease characterized by crops of polymorphous lesions on the trunk, thighs, and upper arms. The eruption consists of red-brown papules that can become purpuric, scaly, and even necrotic (Fig. 7-7). The patients usually are asymptomatic, although itching and low-grade fevers and malaise are not uncommon. Individual lesions resolve in several weeks leaving postinflammatory hyper- or hypopigmentation and occasionally scars. The clinical course of PLEVA often waxes and wanes and can last months to years.
Khachemoune A, Blyumin ML: Pityriasis lichenoides: pathophysiology, classification, and treatment,
Am J Clin Dermatol 8:29–36, 2007.
