Papular mucinosis (also known as scleromyxedema, "generalized lichen myxedematosus" and "sclerodermoid lichen myxedematosus") is a rare skin disease. Localized and disseminated cases are called papular mucinosis or lichen myxedematosus while generalized, confluent papular forms with sclerosis are called scleromyxedema. Frequently, all three forms are regarded as papular mucinosis. However, some authors restrict it to only mild cases. Another form, acral persistent papular mucinosis is regarded as a separate entity.

Presentation

Papular mucinosis is chronic and may be progressive. The

dermal The dermis or corium is a layer of skin between the epidermis (with which it makes up the cutis) and subcutaneous tissues, that primarily consists of dense irregular connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. It is divided ...

layer of the skin breaks out into small and solid bumps, usually conical in shape and measured from 2 to 4 mm or sometimes flat-topped

papules A papule is a small, well-defined bump in the skin. It may have a rounded, pointed or flat top, and may have a dip. It can appear with a stalk, be thread-like or look warty. It can be soft or firm and its surface may be rough or smooth. Some h ...

. Unlike

pustule A skin condition, also known as cutaneous condition, is any medical condition that affects the integumentary system—the organ system that encloses the body and includes skin, nails, and related muscle and glands. The major function of this sy ...

s, these bumps do not contain

pus Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...

. Instead they contain

mucin Mucins () are a family of high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated proteins (glycoconjugates) produced by epithelial tissues in most animals. Mucins' key characteristic is their ability to form gels; therefore they are a key component in most ...

, a waxy substance of mucus, the body's natural and protective lubricant found in saliva and

epithelial Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellula ...

cells in lungs and the sensitive part of the nose. They usually come in clusters such as linear arrays. Less frequently,

urticaria Hives, also known as urticaria, is a kind of skin rash with red, raised, itchy bumps. Hives may burn or sting. The patches of rash may appear on different body parts, with variable duration from minutes to days, and does not leave any long-lasti ...

l, nodular, or sometimes annular

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals. Types There is no designated classifi ...

s may be appreciated. The

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal c ...

aspect of the hands, face, elbows, and extensor portions of the extremities are most frequently affected.

Mucosal A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...

lesions are absent. The coalescence of

on the face, particularly on the

glabella The glabella, in humans, is the area of skin between the eyebrows and above the nose. The term also refers to the underlying bone that is slightly depressed, and joins the two brow ridges. It is a cephalometric landmark that is just superior to ...

, results in longitudinal folding and gives the appearance of a

leonine facies Leonine facies is a facies that resembles that of a lion. It is seen in multiple conditions and has been classically described for lepromatous leprosy as well as Paget's disease of bone. It is a dermatological symptom, with characteristic facial ...

. In scleromyxedema, symptoms can occur on larger part of the body. Redness and

scleroderma Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas of ...

-like induration occurs on the skin. In addition, the mobility of the lips, hands, arms, and legs is reduced. Proximal

myopathy In medicine, myopathy is a disease of the muscle in which the muscle fibers do not function properly. This results in muscular weakness. ''Myopathy'' means muscle disease (Greek : myo- ''muscle'' + patheia '' -pathy'' : ''suffering''). This meani ...

, inflammatory

polyarthritis Polyarthritis is any type of arthritis that involves 5 or more joints simultaneously. It is usually associated with autoimmune conditions and may be experienced at any age and is not sex specific. Causes Polyarthritis is most often caused by an au ...

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all par ...

symptoms, esophageal aperistalsis, and hoarseness are among the notable systemic symptoms. If

viscera In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...

is involved, the disease will be fatal. The dermatoneuro syndrome is a rare neurological complication of the disease presenting with fever, seizures and altered mental status.

Diagnosis

Classification

Papular mucinosis may be divided into several types or variants: :* Acral persistent papular mucinosis :*

Self-healing papular mucinosis Self-healing papular mucinosis is a skin condition caused by fibroblasts producing abnormally large amounts of mucopolysaccharides, and may present in adult and juvenile forms. The juvenile variant is also called self-healing juvenile cutaneous m ...

Papular mucinosis of infancy Papular mucinosis of infancy is a skin condition caused by fibroblasts producing abnormally large amounts of mucopolysaccharides, characterized by skin-colored or translucent papules. See also * Papular mucinosis * List of cutaneous conditions ...

Cutaneous mucinosis of infancy Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different de ...

Nodular lichen myxedematosus Nodular lichen myxedematosus is a cutaneous condition characterized by multiple nodules on the limbs and trunk, with a mild or absent papular component. See also * Papular mucinosis * List of cutaneous conditions Many skin conditions aff ...

Localized lichen myxedematosus Localized lichen myxedematosus is a group of skin condition caused by fibroblasts producing abnormally large amounts of mucopolysaccharides, a disease for which there is no treatment. See also * Papular mucinosis * List of cutaneous conditions ...

Discrete papular lichen myxedematosus Discrete papular lichen myxedematosus is a skin condition caused by fibroblasts producing abnormally large amounts of mucopolysaccharides characterized by the occurrence of waxy, flesh-colored papules. See also * Papular mucinosis * List of cut ...

Treatment

There is no effective treatment for this condition. It has been reported that clearance of

lesions A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals. Types There is no designated classifi ...

can be done with

melphalan Melphalan, sold under the brand name Alkeran among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat multiple myeloma, ovarian cancer, melanoma, and AL amyloidosis. It is taken by mouth or by injection into a vein. Common side effects incl ...

and

cyclophosphamide Cyclophosphamide (CP), also known as cytophosphane among other names, is a medication used as chemotherapy and to suppress the immune system. As chemotherapy it is used to treat lymphoma, multiple myeloma, leukemia, ovarian cancer, breast cancer ...

alone or in combination with

prednisone Prednisone is a glucocorticoid medication mostly used to immunosuppressive drug, suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in conditions such as asthma, COPD, and rheumatologic diseases. It is also used to treat high blood calcium ...

. Both

isotretinoin Isotretinoin, also known as 13-''cis''-retinoic acid and sold under the brand name Accutane among others, is a medication primarily used to treat severe acne. It is also used to prevent certain skin cancers (squamous-cell carcinoma), and in th ...

and etretinate have also been shown to improve the conditions. All medications listed can cause adverse symptoms, with isotretinoin and etretinate particularly dangerous since they are both teratogens. Other attempted treatments include

interferon Interferons (IFNs, ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten the ...

-alpha,

cyclosporine Ciclosporin, also spelled cyclosporine and cyclosporin, is a calcineurin inhibitor, used as an immunosuppressant medication. It is a natural product. It is taken orally or intravenously for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease ...

PUVA PUVA (psoralen and UVA) is an ultraviolet light therapy treatment for skin diseases: eczema, psoriasis, graft-versus-host disease, vitiligo, mycosis fungoides, large plaque parapsoriasis, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, using the sensitizing effe ...

photochemotherapy, electron-beam therapy,

IVIg Immunoglobulin therapy is the use of a mixture of antibodies (normal human immunoglobulin or NHIG) to treat several health conditions. These conditions include primary immunodeficiency, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, chronic inflammatory dem ...

and

dermabrasion Dermabrasion is a type of surgical skin planing, generally with the goal of removing acne, scarring and other skin or tissue irregularities, typically performed in a professional medical setting by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon trained speci ...

. However, the overall

prognosis Prognosis (Greek: πρόγνωσις "fore-knowing, foreseeing") is a medical term for predicting the likely or expected development of a disease, including whether the signs and symptoms will improve or worsen (and how quickly) or remain stabl ...

for the disease is poor. There are reported instances of remission of the disease when treated with a combination of Revlimid and Dexamethasone over a 24-month period.

Incidence

Papular mucinosis affects adults of both sexes equally and appears between ages 30 and 80. Recently, it has been reported in patients infected with the

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

virus. It has also been associated with certain

paraproteinemia Monoclonal gammopathy, also known as paraproteinemia, is the presence of excessive amounts of myeloma protein or monoclonal gamma globulin in the blood. It is usually due to an underlying immunoproliferative disorder or hematologic neoplasms, esp ...

s such as IgG lambda paraproteinemia.

Notes

References

"What is Papular mucinosis?"
''The Star'' (Malaysia), December 20, 2006.

''Dermatology Online Journal'' Vol. 7 No. 2.

External links

{{Mucinoses Mucinoses