OBJECTIVE To examine the proposed association between pityriasis rosea and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7). DESIGN A retrospective cross-sectional survey. SETTING University medical center in Switzerland. PATIENTS Thirteen patients with pityriasis rosea and 14 persons with normal skin (control subjects). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Detection of HHV-7-specific DNA sequences and antigen (85-kd phos...

BACKGROUND Macrolides are prescribed in the treatment of pityriasis rosea despite conflicting results of the limited number of studies evaluating their role in its treatment. AIM A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of azithromycin on the clinical course of pityriasis rosea. METHODS Seventy patients of pityriasis rosea were given either azi...

Pityriasis rosea is a common erythematosquamous eruption, typically presenting along the cleavage lines of the skin. A wide spectrum of atypical manifestations may challenge even the most experienced physician. Here we report a rare case of a suberythrodermic pityriasis rosea with gigantic plaques after an influenza vaccination, and we discuss the possible triggers of atypical manifestations of...

Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec™, STI571), a selective inhibitor of BCR-ABL, c-Kit, and platelet-derived factor receptor, has been used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Although its use has been associated with various adverse cutaneous reactions, pityriasis rosea-like drug eruptions are rare. Here, we report a case of pityriasis rosea-like drug erupti...

Dear Editor, Pityriasis rosea is a common, acute, and self-limiting dermatosis, which is associated with the endogenous systemic reactivation of human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 and/or HHV-7 (1). It predominantly affects individuals of both sexes in their second or third decade of life and is clinically characterized by the occurrence of an initial erythematosquamous plaque followed by the appearance ...

BACKGROUND UVA1 phototherapy has recently demonstrated high levels of efficacy and tolerability for treating a variety of inflammatory and neoplastic skin diseases. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to assess the clinical efficacy of UVA1 (340~400 nm) phototherapy for treating pityriasis rosea and to assess the course of the disease after treatment. METHODS Fifteen patients wit...

Sir, We read with interest the article by Pandhi et al.,[1] who evaluated the efficacy of azithromycin in pityriasis rosea (PR) and we are not entirely surprised by its failure. In fact, an increasing number of studies using valid methodology have focused on the role of systemic infection with human herpes virus (HHV) 6 and/or 7 as the cause of pityriasis rosea.[2] Hence, azithromycin had only ...