The

medical condition A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...

pseudopelade of Brocq is a flesh- to pink-colored, irregularly shaped

alopecia Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Inflammation or scarring ...

that may begin in a moth-eaten pattern with eventual coalescence into larger patches of

.Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. .James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology''. (10th ed.). Saunders. .

Signs and symptoms

The most typical location for the first lesion is the vertex. The eyebrows and beard may be impacted. There are sporadic yet distinct

confluent areas that resemble snow footprints. In the early stages, there is minor perifollicular

erythema Erythema (, ) is redness of the skin or mucous membranes, caused by hyperemia (increased blood flow) in superficial capillaries. It occurs with any skin injury, infection, or inflammation. Examples of erythema not associated with pathology inc ...

, and in the later stages, there is significant

atrophy Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include mutations (which can destroy the gene to build up the organ), malnutrition, poor nourishment, poor circulatory system, circulation, loss of hormone, ...

. Pseudopelade lesions are spaced haphazardly. It typically manifests as an atrophic plaque that is porcelain white,

hypopigmented Hypopigmentation is characterized specifically as an area of skin becoming lighter than the baseline skin color, but not completely devoid of pigment. This is not to be confused with depigmentation, which is characterized as the absence of all pi ...

, and somewhat depressed. Instead of the typical round or oval patches associated with

alopecia areata Alopecia areata (AA), also known as spot baldness, is a condition in which hair loss, hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. It often results in a few Baldness, bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin. Psychological st ...

, lesions are frequently uneven in shape.

Causes

The pathogenesis of pseudopelade of Brocq is still not well understood. A number of potential contributing variables include senescence of the follicular

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...

reserve, acquired

autoimmunity In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an " autoimmune disease ...

, and Borrelia infection. The pathophysiology of familial pseudopelade of Brocq may be influenced by heredofamilial variables, according to a small number of case reports and case series.

Diagnosis

Pseudopelade of Brocq is identified using clinical and

trichoscopy Trichoscopy is a method of hair and scalp evaluation and is used for diagnosing hair and scalp diseases. The method is based on dermoscopy. In trichoscopy hair and scalp structures may be visualized at many-fold magnification. Currently magnificat ...

exclusion. There are two types of pseudopelade of Brocq, primary and secondary.

Treatment

The progression of the disease eventually terminates on its own. There is no accepted course of care.

References

External links

DermNet

VisualDx
Conditions of the skin appendages {{Disorders of skin appendages