Actinic prurigo in a dermatological reference center in Colombia: 108 cases

Introduction: Actinic prurigo is a chronic photodermatosis. It affects the Latin American population more frequently, predominantly women, and involves the sun-exposed areas of the skin, conjunctiva, and lips. Objective: To update the information on the clinical-epidemiological characteristics and treatment of patients with actinic prurigo in Colombia. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study including the medical records of patients with actinic prurigo treated in the Photodermatology Service of Hospital Universitario Centro Dermatológico Federico Lleras Acosta between 2011 and 2016. We described the demographic, clinical, histopathological, and treatment characteristics of the patients. Results: We included 108 patients, 77 (71.3%) were women and 31 (28.7%) men, mainly with phototypes III-IV (70%). The disease had begun during the first decade of life in 66.4% of the cases and 25% of the patients had a family history with the condition. The lesions predominated on the face (93.5%), forearms (79.6%), and back of the hands (70.4%). Ocular (87.9%) and lip (88.8%) involvement was also documented. A photo-provocation test with UVA was performed in 25% of the cases and skin biopsies in 19.4%. Physical and chemical photoprotection was indicated in all patients. Mild to moderate cases were treated with topical corticosteroids (91.7%) and calcineurin inhibitors (65.7%) while severe cases received thalidomide (33.3%) and pentoxifylline (14.8%). Conclusion: The characteristics of actinic prurigo patients in Colombia are similar to those reported in other Latin American countries: early onset of the disease, predominance in women, frequent involvement of conjunctiva and lips, and adequate response to topical and systemic treatment.