HIV-ASSOCIATED EOSINOPHILIC FOLLICULITIS AND FOLLICULAR MUCINOSIS

The term HIV-associated eosinophilic folliculitis (EF) designates an i diopathic dermatitis that appears in HIV-infected patients with differ ent clinical manifestations but with a distinctive histological featur e characterized by a predominantly eosinophilic infiltrate in the foll icular infundibula. On the other side, follicular mucinosis (FM) is a reaction pattern in the follicular epithelium, characterized by a muci nous degeneration of the outer sheath of follicles and sebaceous gland s. It has been described in association with a variety of unrelated co nditions. We report 2 HIV-infected patients with a pruritic papular er uption. Histopathological study revealed the coexistence of EF and FM. To our knowledge, this is the first report that describes this associ ation. The possible relationship between these two entities is discuss ed.