Pityriasis rubra pilaris in Singapore

Fourteen patients with pityriasis rubra pilaris seen between 1981 and 1989 were evaluated retrospectively. There were nine male and five female patients. There was a bimodal age of onset in early childhood and in adulthood. All the patients had either follicular hyperkeratosis or hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles. Nine patients had erythroderma. The classical forms, either in the children or in the adult patients, were more likely to recover. Several treatment modalities were used and these included steroids, Vitamin A, etretinate, retinoic acid and ultraviolet light (UBV). Nine patients had complete recovery. Four of these patients received only steroids, two cleared while on vitamin A, two cleared while on etretinate and one cleared with methotrexate.