Granuloma multiforme
A skin condition resembling leprosy, seen mainly in central Africa.
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Granuloma multiforme is a skin condition found mainly in central Africa, producing lesions on the upper trunk and arms where the sun hits. It can be mistaken for tuberculoid leprosy because the two look alike clinically. Gosset first observed it in the 1940s, and Leiker named it in 1964 while studying a leprosy-like disease in Nigeria.
Quick Facts
- Term coined by
- Leiker
- Year term coined
- 1964
- Location of study
- Nigeria
- Primary geographic prevalence
- central Africa
Facts from the source article.
Signs and symptoms
This condition primarily affects the upper trunk and arms. It starts as itchy papules that soon form ring-like or wavy patches with raised edges, sometimes appearing as elevated plaques. Over months or years, these lesions slowly expand while the center heals, leaving behind lighter spots.
New growths are especially irritating. Unlike leprosy, there is no nerve swelling, loss of feeling, sweating issues, or ulceration. While it can cause cosmetic concerns, it does not harm overall health.
Diagnosis
A radial biopsy with a raised border and central zone best reveals histologic features. The hallmark is absence of elastic fibers, best shown in the central zone using an elastic tissue stain such as Verhoeff-Van Gieson's. The elevated border shows a zone of transition with granulomatous infiltration, and giant cells contain both perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate and phagocytosed elastic tissue. Differential diagnoses include sarcoidosis, necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum, granuloma annulare, and tuberculoid leprosy (which has sensory impairment and nerve trunk thickening but no degenerated collagen).
Granuloma annulare in younger patients presents asymptomatic lesions with increased mucin deposition and a granulomatous zone with few giant cells. Necrobiosis lipoidica shows yellow plaques, telangiectasia, lower limb involvement, and fibrosis with necrosis, vessel wall changes, and fat deposition in the deep reticular dermis.
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: Granuloma multiforme (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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