Annular Lichenoid Dermatitis of Youth: Report of Six New Cases with Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND

Annular lichenoid dermatitis of youth (ALDY) is an uncommon disease clinically reminiscent of morphea, annular erythema or mycosis fungoides.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the histological and clinical features of a small series of patients with ALDY and to review the literature.

PATIENTS: We describe the clinical and histological features of six patients (age range 7-79 years) with asymptomatic erythematous macules and patches with a red-brownish border and central hypopigmentation, mostly distributed on the groin and flanks. Histologically, all cases showed lichenoid dermatitis limited to the tips of rete ridges, with many intraepidermal CD8+ and some CD4+ T cells. T cell receptor rearrangement was absent in all cases. A total of 44 patients with a consistent clinical and histological picture have been described. The disease is sensitive to topical and/or systemic corticosteroids.

CONCLUSIONS

ALDY is a unique lichenoid dermatitis for whose diagnosis a clinical-pathological correlation is essential. The disease typically affects young patients, more rarely adults and elderly.