Pityriasis lichenoides: a university department long-term follow-up study

Pityriasis lichenoides (PL) predominantly affects children and young adults. Its etiology is unclear, and the condition ranges from a harmless inflammatory disease to possible progression or pre-manifestation of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

A long-term cohort included 242 patients with PL of all age groups diagnosed and treated at our department from 2009 to 2019. Follow-up lasted until 2024. We analyzed the disease duration, demographic and clinical features, and outcomes in our patients.

The cohort of PL patients studied included 107 adults and 135 children. A total of 221/242 (91%) patients were followed for 5 to 15 years (the median follow-up period was 9.9 years). No statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in disease duration or lesion distribution was found between different PL forms in children or adults. The results show a male-to-female ratio of 1.7:1 for pediatric patients and 0.6:1 for adults, with a higher incidence of male patients among children (p < 0.01). During the follow-up period, no progression to cutaneous T-cell lymphoma was established.

PL encompasses a spectrum of papulosquamous disorders with male predominance among children and female predominance in adults. In addition, the study results underscore the benign course of PL.