An itching and excoriated dermatosis during intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

A 35-year-old woman at 30th gestation week of her second pregnancy presented to our department with a 2-month history of intense and generalized pruritus. She had a spontaneous abortion 1 year earlier. Itching initially presented during nighttime and localized on lower limbs and after became continuous, diffuse, and associated with excoriations due to scratching. The patient was previously treated with oral corticosteroids (25 mg/d) in a gynecological department with temporary response. On our examination, she presented linear excoriations with hemorrhagic crusts localized on the trunk, buttocks, and upper and lower limbs. Biopsy specimen from the lesional area of the right buttock submitted for routine histology documented a mild perivascular and interstitial infiltrate of lymphocytes and monocytes with rare eosinophils on superficial dermis. Indirect and direct immunofluorescence (performed on perilesional skin) were negative. Laboratory investigations revealed microcytic anemia (hemoglobin 7.5 g/dL; medium corpuscular volume 61.7 fl), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (21 mm) and serum bile acid levels (18.3 nmol/L; normal values 1.00-8.90) increase. On the basis of clinical, serological, and histological findings, we diagnosed an itching dermatosis during an intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. We treated the patient with ursodeoxycholic acid (600 mg) and topical corticosteroids with gradual resolution of itching. Furthermore, she delivered a healthy boy at 39th gestation week with normal birth weight and normal Apgar score.