[The Brocq pseudopelade--a disease picture or disease entity]

In 1885 Brocq described a type of scarring alopecia he called pseudopelade (PPB), whose character as a separate disease entity has been denied in recent decades. Several authors now believe PPB to be a polyetiological final stage (état pseudopeladique de Degos; EPP). In all, 142 patients with scarring alopecia were analyzed in an attempt to find whether PPB is a separate entity or not. Following examination, 26 cases with lichen ruber (LR), 18 cases with lupus erythematosus chronicus discoides (DLE), 2 cases with scleroderma, 1 case with folliculitis decalvans, and 1 case with ichthyosis vulgaris were diagnosed; this left 94 cases with PPB (66%). We attempt to describe the macroscopic morphology and histopathology in PPB and in LR and DLE. The findings yielded by direct immunofluorescence and the treatment are discussed.