PACHYDERMATOUS EOSINOPHILIC DERMATITIS

We report three South African black teenage girls with extensive pruri tic papular lesions arising on a pachydermatous base, resembling sever e atopic dermatitis or onchodermatitis. All three had peculiar hypertr ophic genital lesions and peripheral blood eosinophilia, Histological studies showed an eosinophil-rich lymphohistiocytic infiltrate and var iable fibrosis. Extensive fibrillar extracellular deposition of eosino phil granule major basic protein was demonstrated by an indirect immun ofluorescence technique. A beneficial therapeutic effect was obtained using dapsone, prednisolone and cetirizine, The term pachydermatous eo sinophilic dermatitis is proposed and its position among other conditi ons characterized by peripheral blood and skin tissue eosinophilia, is discussed.