[Pityriasis rotunda]

Abstract

Pityriasis rotunda (PR) is a well-known skin disease in Japan, but it is seldom observed in Europe. Because it is often associated with an underlying, sometimes malignant disease, it is regarded by some authors as a clinical form of acquired ichthyosis. We report the case of a 20-year old male Congolese presenting with PR and ichthyosis vulgaris. This rarely described association raises the problem, discussed here, of whether PR belongs to ichthyosis vulgaris.