Een patiënte met huidafwijkingen na hijama-therapie

A 31-year-old woman was seen at our clinic with itching papules of the back after hijama treatments. Hijama treatments consist of superficially cutting the skin followed by cupping and are applied for a diversity of complaints, including pain. Our patient initially presented with sensitive and burning sensations at the cutting sites, but recently, the cutting sites started to itch as well. At physical examination, we saw perfectly aligned papules with a sign of Wickham’s striae on her back where the skin had been cut. Further examination revealed comparable, solitary papules on the inside of her wrist, flank and chest. A skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis lichen planus. The patient was prescribed betamethasone cream and we advised against further hijama treatments.

Conflict of interest: none declared. Financial support: none declared.