CLINICAL CASES   

Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2002 February;137(1):37-40

Copyright © 2002 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Lichen Aureus. Report of two cases

Ingordo V., Sebastro A. M. **, Tortora A. *, Mascia E. *

From the Department of Dermatology and *Surgery, Italian Navy Main Hospital ”M.O. Giulio Venticinque“, Taranto **Service of Pathological Anatomy and Histology, ”St Annunziata“ Hospital, Taranto

Lichen aureus is a rare dermatitis included in the group of the pigmented purpuric eruptions of unknown origin. One hypothesis on its etiology is that is caused by a red cells leakage out of damaged vessels either because of the sudden failure of a perforating vein, or because of the raise of venous blood pressure on a subclinical capillary fragility. Two cases of lichen aureus are described. The lesions appeared on the right wrists in a 9 year-old girl and a 22 year-old man. In both cases, the immunohistochemical study of the lymphohistiocytic infiltrate showed a CD3+ T-cells high prevalence, several CD68+ macrophages and CD1a+ Langerhans cells. Only few CD20+ B-cells were observed. In the second case the infiltrate was prevalently made up of CD4+ T-cells. In both cases a coexistent endothelial damage was excluded by CD34 marking. The localization of the lesions in these cases is not consistent with the hypothesis of a vascular etiology of lichen aureus, though a previous transient vascular damage cannot be excluded.