Erythema dyschromicum perstans in children: a report of 14 cases

Erythema dyschromicum perstans (EDP) or ashy dermatosis is a peculiar, slowly progressive, macular hyperpigmentation, which leaves a permanent discoloration. It is an acquired dermatosis that occurs most frequently in Central and South America. EDP usually appears in adults, but some isolated cases and small series have been reported in prepubertal children.

A retrospective review of cases of EDP in 10-year-old children or younger, attended in a pediatric hospital between 1990 and 2003.

We present 14 cases of EDC in children 10 years and younger. With an additional 25 cases reported so far in the English language literature, a total of 39 children have been described. Unlike adult patients, who are most commonly of Hispanic origin, children with EDP are usually Caucasian. Other important facts in children with EDP are the absence of consistent trigger factors and an eventual improvement or resolution of the lesions in 50% of prepubertal patients.

We suggest that EDP is a distinctive clinical entity, different from lichen planus and lichen planus pigmentosus, which may be identical to the so-called idiopathic eruptive macular pigmentation.