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World J Clin Cases. Jun 16, 2017; 5(6): 203-211
Published online Jun 16, 2017. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v5.i6.203
Clinical variants of pityriasis rosea
Francisco Urbina, Anupam Das, Emilio Sudy
Francisco Urbina, Emilio Sudy, Dermatologists in Private Practice, Santiago de Chile 6760964, Chile
Anupam Das, Dermatology, KPC Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal 700032, India
Author contributions: All the authors have contributed to the preparation of the manuscript and collection of pictures.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Francisco Urbina, MD, Dermatologist in Private Practice, Algeciras 583, Las Condes, Santiago de Chile 6760964, Chile. fcourbina@hotmail.com
Telephone: +56-22-2285427
Received: January 28, 2017
Peer-review started: February 9, 2017
First decision: March 7, 2017
Revised: March 21, 2017
Accepted: April 18, 2017
Article in press: April 19, 2017
Published online: June 16, 2017
Processing time: 137 Days and 11.7 Hours
Abstract

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a common erythemato-squamous dermatosis which almost always, is easily diagnosed. Mostly the disease presents in its classical form. However, clinical dermatology is all about variations and PR is not an exception. Variants of the disease in some cases may be troublesome to diagnose and confuse clinicians. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of the condition becomes necessary to avoid unnecessary investigations. We hereby review and illustrate atypical presentations of the disease, including diverse forms of location and morphology of the lesions, the course of the eruption, and its differential diagnoses.

Keywords: Pityriasis; Pityriasis rosea; Pityriasis rosea of Gibert; Herald patch; Papulo-squamous dermatosis

Core tip: Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a common, self-limited disease which in its typical form should not raise diagnostic doubts. Atypical forms represent 20% of cases, with diverse variants with respect to morphology and location of lesions, and evolution of the disease. Recognition of these forms may avoid unnecessary procedures. Drug ingestion may simulate PR in some cases.