Treatment of confluent and reticulated papillomatosis with azithromycin

Confluent and reticulated papillomatosis (CRP) is a relatively rare disorder of unknown origin, mostly affecting young female adults. We here present the case of a 21-year-old male patient with confluent and reticulated papillomatosis. Skin examination revealed brownish, verrucous, hyperkeratotic, 2 to 5 mm papules, which formed confluent patches and plaques with a reticulate network on the interscapular area. The patient was initially treated with ketoconazole cream for two weeks without improvement. The disease can be rather persistent and resistant to topical therapy. Our case showed a satisfactory response to treatment with azithromycin. Although this treatment is known to be effective in some cases, the action mechanism of azithromycin on CRP is not fully understood.