Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronica: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge
- 1Dermatology, Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, IND
- 2Pediatrics, Manipal Tata Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Jamshedpur, IND
- 3Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur, IND
Abstract
Pityriasis lichenoides (PL) is an uncommon, acquired inflammatory skin disorder that presents considerable diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Its classification, natural history, and optimal management remain subjects of debate. PL is best conceptualized as a clinical spectrum encompassing pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA), pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC), and the rare febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease (FUMHD). Whether these represent truly distinct entities or points along a single continuum remains controversial, given their overlapping clinical, histopathological, and etiological features. PLC typically manifests as an insidious eruption of small, red-to-brown, flat-topped papules bearing a characteristic adherent mica-like scale, following a relapsing-remitting course with prolonged periods of quiescence. We report a case of longstanding PLC in a 60-year-old woman who was successfully managed with a combination of methotrexate, topical corticosteroids, keratolytics, and emollients, achieving sustained remission at six-month follow-up.
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BibTeX
@article{kumre2026pityriasis,
title = {{Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronica: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge}},
author = {Kiran Kumre and Binod Kumar and Madhavi Thombare and Ratan Kumar and Anil Prasad},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.117187},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722369},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronica: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge
AU - Kiran Kumre
AU - Binod Kumar
AU - Madhavi Thombare
AU - Ratan Kumar
AU - Anil Prasad
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.117187
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722369
AB - Pityriasis lichenoides (PL) is an uncommon, acquired inflammatory skin disorder that presents considerable diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Its classification, natural history, and optimal management remain subjects of debate. PL is best conceptualized as a clinical spectrum encompassing pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA), pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC), and the rare febrile ulceronecrotic Mucha-Habermann disease (FUMHD). Whether these represent truly distinct entities or points along a single continuum remains controversial, given their overlapping clinical, histopathological, and etiological features. PLC typically manifests as an insidious eruption of small, red-to-brown, flat-topped papules bearing a characteristic adherent mica-like scale, following a relapsing-remitting course with prolonged periods of quiescence. We report a case of longstanding PLC in a 60-year-old woman who was successfully managed with a combination of methotrexate, topical corticosteroids, keratolytics, and emollients, achieving sustained remission at six-month follow-up.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -