J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol.
2003 Sep;23(3):548-552.
A case of lymphomatoid contact dermatitis caused by garlic
- Affiliations
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- 1Division of the Allergy and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. hbmoon@amc.seoul.kr
Abstract
- Garlic(Allium sativum) is recognized as a sensitizing agent responsible for allergic contact dermatitis with food handlers and housewives. Lymphomatoid contact dermatitis, which is a type of allergic contact dermatitis, shows similar histologic features to Mycosis Fungoides. We report a 66-year-old male, who had applied garlic extract to both lower extremities and the trunk for 8 months for relieving his symptoms of arthralgia and generalized pruritis. He had complained of variable sized multiple erythematous pruritic papules on both lower extremities and the trunk and lymphadenopathy of both inguinal and axillary area. Skin biopsy was performed and the histological exam presented microscopically abnormal lymphocyte infiltration in the upper dermis. T-cell marker studies revealed strong CD3 positivity and increased CD4/CD8 ratio. The results of PCR-heteroduplex analysis showed negative for T-cell receptor- gene rearrangement and abscence of T-cell monoclonality. We could diagnose his skin lesion and generalized lymphadenopathy as lymphomatoid contact dermatitis which represented as a T-cell pseudolymphoma histologically. He was treated with local steroid injection and phototherapy and the skin lesion were improved without recurrence.
