Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: treatment with ultraviolet B phototherapy

Recently, three cases of eosinophilic pustular folliculitis were reported in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The authors report on six patients with AIDS and intensely pruritic eosinophilic pustular folliculitis whose symptoms were treated successfully with ultraviolet B phototherapy. This treatment, used in various dermatologic disorders, consists of the controlled exposure of the skin to electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths of 290 to 320 nm. Three patients had a decrease in the size or number of lesions. The results indicate the ultraviolet B phototherapy is a highly effective treatment for the relief of the symptoms of eosinophilic pustular folliculitis, which is recognized with increasing frequency and is a primary cause of morbidity in affected patients because of the associated severe, intractable pruritus.