Clinical Characteristics of Impetigo Herpetiformis in 14 Patients

  Objective  To summarize the clinical characteristics of impetigo herpetiformis (IH).

  Methods  The clinical and laboratory data of 14 IH patients who were treated in our department from March 1983 to March 2012 were analyzed retrospectively.

  Results  All these patients met the diagnostic criteria of IH. Of these 14 patients, 7 (50%) experienced the first onset of IH during the second trimester of pregnancy and 4 (28.6%) during the third trimester. Eleven patients (78.6%) also suffered from hypocalcemia. Six (42.9%) responded well to a monotherapy of systemic corticosteroids, tripterygium glycosides, or acitretin. Eight (57.1%) were treated effectively after a combination therapy using systemic corticosteroids with methotrexate and (or) acitretin.

  Conclusions  The trimesters of pregnancy in which the first onset of IH occurs may vary in different populations. Patients with severe IH have poor response to monotherapy and therefore require the application of a combination therapy with other drugs to control the condition.