Actinic granuloma
A rare granulomatous disease triggered by solar-damaged elastic fibers.
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Actinic granuloma is a rare granulomatous disease that presents on sun-exposed areas, typically as asymptomatic annular or polycyclic lesions with an erythematous edge and an atrophic center. It is thought to arise from a cell-mediated autoimmune response against damaged elastic fibers.
Diagnosis
Histopathologically, actinic granuloma is distinguished by multinucleated foreign body giant cells that phagocytize degenerated elastic fibers, a process called elastophagocytosis. At the level of solar elastosis, there is no necrobiosis or mucinosis. Because clinical manifestations can resemble annular granuloma and sarcoidosis, histopathological examination is required. Annular granuloma features papules coalescing into annular plaques on extensor extremities, while sarcoidosis shows symmetrically distributed red to red-brown papules and plaques with epithelioid cell granulomas in the dermis.
Did You Know?
- Lesions begin as red or skin-colored papules and progress insidiously to annular plaques with uplifted edges and atrophic central skin.
- Actinic granuloma has been linked to long-term doxycycline use.
- Some patients experience spontaneous remission of skin lesions.
More in Monocyte- and Macrophage-related Cutaneous Conditions
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Actinic granuloma (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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