Autoimmune progesterone dermatitis: diagnostic relevance and epidemiological analysis of 13 cases.

OBJECTIVE

Autoimmune progesterone dermatitis (APD) is a rare hypersensitivity to high levels of progesterone, with an as-yet unknown etiology. The objective of this study is to gather epidemiological data on patients with APD at an outpatient dermatology clinic.

METHODS

Medical records of patients diagnosed with APD, from menarche to menopause, seen at the dermatology clinic between 2004 and 2020 were reviewed.

RESULTS

Thirteen patients with APD were included. The mean age of symptom onset among APD patients was 24 years. The most prevalent clinical manifestation was urticaria, and the most common associated symptom was pruritus. The perimenstrual period was the most frequent aggravating factor, reported in 100% of cases. The intradermal progesterone test and autologous serum skin test were positive in approximately 60% of cases.

CONCLUSION

Autoimmune progesterone dermatitis is an important differential diagnosis in female patients with dermatitis and should be considered during clinical evaluations.