Korean J Dermatol.  2014 Apr;52(4):256-259.

Eczematid-like Purpura of Doucas and Kapetanakis Showing Clinical Improvement with Narrowband UVB

• Jeong YI
• Huh JW
• Kim G
• Jue MS
• Park HJ
• Kim EJ

Abstract

Eczematid-like purpura of Doucas and Kapetanakis is a type of pigmented purpuric dermatoses. It is clinically characterized by pruritic seasonal eruptions occurring in the spring and summer, and histopathologically characterized by spongiosis and parakeratosis in the epidermis and by the lymphocyte-mediated leakage of erythrocytes from capillaries in the papillary dermis. We report a case of eczematid-like purpura of Doucas and Kapetanakis that showed clinical improvement with narrowband UVB (NB-UVB). The patient was a 66-year-old man with pruritic, well-demarcated scaly purpuric patches on his feet that appeared 2 months prior. A histopathological study showed mild superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltration, focal spongiosis with exocytosis, and erythrocyte leakage. We initiated treatment with an oral antihistamine, ascorbic acid, and a topical steroid, but the lesion was aggravated. We therefore treated the patient with NB-UVB for 6 months, and the lesions regressed progressively with residual postinflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Keyword

Eczematid-like purpura of Doucas and Kapetanakis; Narrowband-UVB (NB-UVB); Pigmented purpuric dermatoses

MeSH Terms

Aged
Ascorbic Acid
Capillaries
Dermis
Epidermis
Erythrocytes
Exocytosis
Foot
Humans
Hyperpigmentation
Parakeratosis
Purpura*
Seasons
Skin Diseases
Ascorbic Acid