Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis

Last Updated: 2023-07-07

Author(s): Anzengruber F., Navarini A.

ICD11: ED9Y

1/3

Ofuji 1970.

Eosinophilic pustulosis, eosinophilic pustular folliculitis, Ofuji syndrome, eosinophilic folliculitis. Do not confuse with papuloerythroderma Ofuji 1984 ("deckchair sign").

Non-infectious, relapsing folliculitis.

  • Division
    • Infantile form.
    • Classical form.
    • Immune suppression-associated form.

  • Rare, rather occurring in the Asian region (Japan)
  • Infantile form: Boys are more often affected than girls. The frequency peak is between 5-10 months. Here often preceding infestations such as scabies, larva migrans.
  • Classical form: Young men (3rd-5th decade of life).
  • Rarely occurring in neonates. Sporadic neonatal cases exist.
  • Adult form: In this case, young males (3rd-4th decade of life) are most affected

  • In the immunosuppression-associated form: mostly HIV infections, from < 200 CD4 T cells.
  • Drug-induced: carbamazepine, allopurinol.

Pruritic, erythematous papules, plaques and sterile pustules, some of which are confluent. Usually pustules are less visible. Regression is often visible centrally. Healing occurs with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Localisation:

  • In particular, the face (in women in 93%, in men 73% facial involvement).
  • Classical form: face (about 90% of cases), trunk (1/3), extremities (1/4), hands/feet (1/5), scalp (1/10).
  • Infantile form: face (approx. 2/3 of cases), trunk (2/3), extremities (1/10), hands/feet (0), scalp (1/5).
  • Immunosuppression-associated form: face (approx. 25% of cases), trunk (0), extremities (25%), hands/feet (0), scalp (50%).

  • Anamnesis
  • Clinical picture
  • Blood count, in 1/3 of cases eosinophilia
  • Biopsy
  • HIV serology
  • IgE level

Mostly face, torso, extremities

Superficial spongiotic, eosinophil-rich dermatitis with folliculitis

Chronic-recurrent course

  • Spontaneous healing is possible
  • Healing under hyperpigmentation
  • Seldom also under scarring.

  1. Ofuji S. Eosinophilic Pustular Folliculitis. Dermatology 1987;174:53-6.
  2. Ota T, Hata Y, Tanikawa A, Amagai M, Tanaka M, Nishikawa T. Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (Ofuji's disease): indometacin as a first choice of treatment. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 2001;26:179-81.
  3. Katoh M, Nomura T, Miyachi Y, Kabashima K. Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis: a review of the Japanese published works. J Dermatol 2013;40:15-20.