Luierdermatitis is niet altijd onschuldig

Background

Diaper dermatitis in children is common and usually harmless. Often the cause is irritation, a secondary candida infection or eczema, for which treatment is simple and effective. In this paper we show that a therapy resistant diaper dermatitis can be the diagnostic clue to the rare but important diagnosis Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH).

Case description

We saw a 14 months old girl with therapy resistant diaper dermatitis, skin abnormalities

on the hairy scalp, fever, otorrhea and extensive lymphadenopathy. After a long period of doctor visits, skin biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of LCH.

Conclusion

LCH is a rare condition that often manifests in the skin. LCH can manifest in different organs. Although skin involvement is sometimes considered as less relevant, cutaneous manifestations can be an important diagnostic clue. In this paper we show that diaper dermatitis is not always harmless: it can be a symptom of LCH.

Conflict of interest and financial support: ICMJE forms provided by the authors are available online along with the full text of this article.