DERMATOMYOSITIS WITH FOLLICULAR HYPERKERATOSIS

We report 2 cases of dermatomyositis with follicular hyperkeratosis (F HK) in children. They occurred in a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl and a 9-year-old Caucasian boy. The girl's FHK disappeared after 2 months of treatment. The boy presented, 15 months after the onset of his dermat omyositis, with a generalised FHK which lasted for 6 months. FHK can a ppear before, during or after dermatomyositis. It is more often genera lised but can be localised. Erector pili myositis and ostial hyperkera tosis may be the explanation. The prognostic value of FHK in dermatomy ositis is unknown. This manifestation, initially considered to be more frequent in the Far East, is not as rare in Western countries as the few reported cases suggest.