Annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum: a case report

Abstract

IntroductionErythema annulare centrifugum is a rare cutaneous disease characterized by erythematous and violaceous annular plaques that usually involved the thighs and the legs. The eruption may be associated with an underlying disease and its accompanying characteristic symptoms. For these reasons, a full physical examination should be conducted to exclude underlying disorders. Annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum is a rare and peculiar variant of erythema annulare centrifugum with the same clinical and histopathological characteristics. The lesions of annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum tend to regress spontaneously after a variable period of days to months with yearly recurrence for many years.Case presentationWe present the case of a 46-year-old caucasian woman affected by annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum, which is a peculiar form of superficial erythema annulare centrifugum. The lesions have the same clinical and histopathological characteristics of the classical superficial form of erythema annulare centrifugum and tend to regress spontaneously after a variable period of days to months. In our case, no precipitating factors were identified and no underlying diseases were found. Every year for the last 12 years the lesions started to appear in the summer months and regressed spontaneously in autumn.ConclusionsCases of annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum are rarely reported in the literature and generally no causative agent can be detected. The main feature of annually recurring erythema annulare centrifugum is the constant annual and seasonal recurrence of the lesions for many years.

Annually Recurring Erythema Annulare Centrifugum: A New Case Series with Review of the Literature

“…EAC is a rare disorder clinically characterized by the presence of annular erythematous lesions that enlarge centrifugally with central clearing [1, 2]. A fine scale may be present inside the advancing edge.…”

Recurrent Erythema Annulare Centrifugum due to Influenza Type A

“…Reactive EAC associated with various infections tends to resolve spontaneously within a few weeks, while in cases with underlying malignancy, the lesions either do not disappear spontaneously or reappear after a short time. However, a patient with a variant form of EAC showed relapse during many years for no apparent reason [ 8 , 9 ]. The therapeutic validity of macrolides, especially clarithromycin, was demonstrated in cases of idiopathic EAC [ 10 ] and clarithromycin resulted in efficacy also in our challenging case.…”

Erythema annulare centrifugum associated with chronic amitriptyline intake

“…Endocrine and immunological disorders such as Graves’ disease, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and Sjögren syndrome have been reported. 2 When it occurs in a paraneoplastic setting, it usually precedes (46% of cases) or is simultaneous within one-month (33% of cases) of the discovery of the related cancer. 3 EAC usually resolves after cancer treatment, and recurrence is associated with tumor relapse.…”

“… 3 EAC has also been related to drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, hydrochlorothiazide, spironolactone, cimetidine, salicylates, piroxicam, penicillin, ustekinumab, and amitriptyline. 2 …”