Prominent follicular mucinosis with diffuse scalp alopecia resembling alopecia areata

A 56‐year‐old Caucasian female presented with a 2‐month history of alopecia. On examination, she had diffuse hair loss of her scalp with some discrete patches of nonscarring alopecia. Histopathology revealed an inflammatory nonscarring alopecia with prominent follicular mucinosis and findings suggestive of alopecia areata. The patient's alopecia completely resolved with oral prednisone. The histopathologic findings and clinical presentation are most consistent with a diagnosis of alopecia areata with follicular mucinosis, although the differential diagnosis is broad. As follicular mucinosis may be associated with both benign and malignant conditions, it is important to be cautious regarding the clinical diagnosis when this reaction pattern is observed histopathologically.     

Eccrine proliferation with follicular mucinosis

Proliferation of the eccrine sweat duct epithelium has been associated with skin tumors, especially keratoacanthomas and basal cell carcinomas. We report our observations on the extensive sweat gland changes in a patient who had idiopathic follicular mucinosis.     

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with follicular mucinosis

Follicular mucinosis occurring along with angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophils (ALHE) has been described in a 54-year-old female. The patient presented with pruritic erythematous papules on the left frontoparietal scalp. Histopathological examination showed prominent blood vessels in the dermis lined by plump histiocytoid endothelial cells that were surrounded by a dense lymphoid infiltrate with numerous eosinophils; these findings are typical of angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophils. Features of follicular mucinosis were observed in the same section with several hyperplastic follicular infundibula containing pools of mucin in the infundibular epithelium. The concurrent occurrence of these two distinct histopathological patterns in the same biopsy specimen has been described in only three cases to date.     

Basaloid follicular hamartoma associated with follicular mucinosis and inflammation

Basaloid follicular hamartoma is a benign, superficial malformation of hair follicles that can be mistaken both clinical and histopathologically for basal cell carcinoma. Basaloid follicular hamartoma has been linked to a mutation in the PTCH-1 gene, which is part of the same pathway involved in Gorlin-Goltz syndrome. Here we present a 9-year-old patient with an asymptomatic congenital lesion on the forehead, which increased in size over the years. Histopathology showed a basaloid follicular hamartoma associated with follicular mucinosis and inflammation. Gorlin-Goltz syndrome was ruled out by clinical examination.     

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with follicular mucinosis.

Follicular mucinosis is described to our knowledge for the first time in angiolymphoid hyperplasia. In general, follicular mucinosis may be regarded as a peculiar, nonspecific histological reaction pattern in follicular epithelium that may occur on its own or in association with other pathological processes, particularly lymphomas. The unusual and characteristic features of angiolymphoid hyperplasia revealed by electron microscopy are irregular vessels lined by atypical endothelial cells with convoluted nuclei and large cytoplasmic vacuoles.     

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with follicular mucinosis]

Association of angiolymphoid hyperplasia (pseudopyogenic granuloma type) and follicular mucinosis in the same lesion on the scalp of a 30-year-old woman. A similar case has been reported recently.     

Ofuji's disease with unusual histological features

A 20-year-old lady presented with a 3-month history of an itchy eruption affecting her face and trunk. Erythematous annular plaques with follicular papules and pustules at the margins were present on her face consistent with Ofuji's disease. A perifollicular and perivascular eosinophil-rich infiltrate was seen histologically, with infiltration of the follicular epithelium by eosinophils and formation of eosinophilic microabscesses. An unusual feature was the presence of follicular mucinosis. Treatment with dapsone resulted in an improvement in the eruption after 2 weeks. Ofuji's eosinophilic pustular folliculitis is becoming increasingly frequently recognized, and may not be as rare as initial reports suggested.     

Centennial Paper. Alopecia mucinosa. Inflammatory plaques with alopecia characterized by root-sheath mucinosis. By Hermann Pinkus, M.D., Arch Dermatol 1957

Six cases are presented which exhibit a peculiar type of follicular degeneration leading to alopecia and characterized by edema and the presence of mucin in the outer root sheath and sebaceous gland. This is accompanied by varying degrees of inflammation. The clinical lesions are sharply defined plaques which enlarge slowly and seem to be curable by relatively small doses of x-ray therapy.     

Secondary follicular mucinosis associated with systemic lupus erythematosus

A 61-year-old woman presented with a five-month history of an intermittent eruption of papules and nodules on her face and neck. Past medical history included systemic lupus erythematosus. Histopathologic examination was consistent with secondary follicular mucinosis in association with systemic lupus erythematosus. This rare entity has been described in one prior report as a precursor to the clinical onset of systemic lupus erythematosus. Follicular mucinosis occurs as either a primary idiopathic form or a secondary form associated with either benign inflammatory processes or malignant conditions, such as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Numerous treatments for primary follicular mucinosis have been described, which include isotretinoin and glucocorticoids, whereas treatment of the underlying disease is necessary in the secondary form. The association with lymphoma mandates long-term clinical monitoring of patients with particularly recalcitrant, widespread, or chronic follicular mucinosis.     

A case of follicular mycosis fungoides with follicular mucinosis: a rare association

Follicular mycosis fungoides (FMF) is a rare cutaneous T cell lymphoma characterized by an atypical lymphoid infiltrate spreading within and around hair follicles without epidermotropism or follicular mucin deposits. Its occasional presentation with minimal epidermal involvement and/or follicular mucinosis suggests the need for uniform histologic criteria. We describe a new case of FMF associated with follicular mucinosis and discuss its morphologic spectrum of presentation.