Acquired ichthyosis in ulcerative colitis

Abstract

Ichthyosis can be either congenital or acquired. Acquired
ichthyosis in inflammatory bowel disease has never been
reported so far. A 65-year-old woman suffering for three
years from ulcerative colitis presented with a 4-month history
of a non-pruritic, photosensitive eruption on the abdomen
and on the upper and lower extremities. Laboratory
tests were all within normal limits. Skin punch biopsies of
ichthyosiform plaques showed compact lamellar orthohyperhkeratosis
and hypogranulosis, which were consistent
with familiar ichtyosis or acquired ichthyosis. Local preparations with 5% urea and 5% NaCl were administered to the patient with satisfactory results. To the best of our knowledge this is the first documented case of acquired ichthyosis in a patient with inflammatory bowel disease. This case raises the question of whether acquired ichthyosis was secondary to ulcerative colitis, representing another rare type of inflammatory bowel disease extraintestinal manifestation, or whether each of these diseases developed independently. Key words: ichthyosis, acquired ichthyosis, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, CrohnÂ’s disease, cutaneous manifestation