Ear cellulitis and rash in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

Pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta (PLEVA), also known as Mucha-Habermann disease, is well known to dermatopathologists but might be unfamiliar to many primary care physicians. This brief report describes a case of PLEVA subsequent to cellulitis of the ear pinna, offers a brief review of the disease, and illustrates the importance of the family physician continuing an aggressive workup of a mysterious skin disorder until a clear diagnosis is established.