Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 1;45(12):820-821.
doi: 10.1097/DAD.0000000000002550.

Eosinophils in Traditionally Noneosinophil-Rich Dermatoses

Isabella Sanchez  1 , Marina K Ibraheim  2 , Bonnie A Lee  1 , Christina N Kraus  1 , Ashley Elsensohn  2   3
Affiliations

Eosinophils in Traditionally Noneosinophil-Rich Dermatoses

Isabella Sanchez et al. Am J Dermatopathol. .

Abstract

The presence or absence of tissue eosinophilia has previously aided in the diagnosis of inflammatory skin conditions. However, recent studies have elucidated the presence of eosinophils in traditionally eosinophil-poor inflammatory skin diseases, such as dermatomyositis (DM), psoriasis, and lichen sclerosus (LS). This systematic review of the literature explores previous studies of tissue eosinophilia in skin biopsies of dermatoses that are believed to be classically poor in eosinophil. We identified 26 studies, the majority of which were retrospective reviews. The percent of specimens with increased eosinophils in psoriasis ranged from 18%-73%, pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) 22%-63%, LS 29%-53%, DM 15%-44%, morphea 8%-45%, hypertrophic lichen planus (LP) 0%-21%, and oral LP 0%-4%. These reports of tissue eosinophilia in reputed eosinophil-poor dermatologic conditions present a diagnostic pitfall and suggest that tissue eosinophilia itself should not be used to rule out a diagnosis of one of these conditions.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Khanna U, Vaughan H, North J, et al. Quantitative assessment of eosinophils in dermatomyositis skin biopsies with correlation of eosinophils to pruritus and other clinical features. Am J Dermatopathol. 2021;43:287–290.
    1. Lester EB, Swick BL. Eosinophils in biopsy specimens of lichen sclerosus: a not uncommon finding. J Cutan Pathol. 2015;42:16–21.
    1. Penn L, Brinster NK. Eosinophils among the histological features of psoriasis. Am J Dermatopathology. 2019;41:347–349.
    1. Kim J, Chung KB, Lee YI, et al. Clinical characteristics and histopathologic changes of morphea: a single-center, retrospective study of 137 patients. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021;85:105–113.
    1. Sharon VR, Konia TH, Barr KL, et al. Assessment of the ‘no eosinophils’ rule: are eosinophils truly absent in pityriasis lichenoides, connective tissue disease, and graft-vs.-host disease? J Cutan Pathol. 2012;39:413–418.

Publication types