IMMUNOPHENOTYPIC ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT GRANULOMA-FACIALE IS A GAMMA-INTERFERON-MEDIATED PROCESS

Granuloma faciale (GF) is an uncommon inflammatory dermatosis with cha racteristic clinical and histologic features. Very little is known abo ut its pathogenesis. We used a battery of immunoperoxidase lymphocyte markers to study the population of hematopoetic cells present in a cas e of GF. The majority of non-myelocytic hematopoetic cells present wer e T-helper lymphocytes. The cells stained strongly with antibodies aga inst the interleukin-2 receptor and with anti-lymphocyte functional an tigen (LFA 1alpha) antibodies. Overlying keratinocytes did not stain w ith ICAM-1 or HLA-DR, which may account for the presence of the Grenz zone in granuloma faciale. These findings suggest that a gamma-interfe ron-mediated process may play some role in the pathogenesis of this di sorder.