Ichthyosiform sarcoidosis.

Ichthyosiform sarcoidosis is a rare specific cutaneous manifestation of sarcoidosis; it clinically and microscopically appears as acquired ichthyosis. We report a 68-year-old black man with a 10-year history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who presented with a 2-month history of acquired ichthyosis. His skin biopsy specimen showed both noncaseating granulomas in the dermis, consistent with sarcoidosis, and ichthyosis vulgaris. Ichthyosiform sarcoidosis is an uncommon presentation of cutaneous sarcoidosis that has been previously described in 19 nonwhite patients whose lesions were located on the legs. The skin lesions appeared either concurrently with or preceded the diagnosis of systemic sarcoidosis in 76% of patients; 95% of the patients eventually developed systemic involvement of their sarcoidosis. The onset of acquired ichthyosis should prompt evaluation for an associated malignancy, connective tissue disease, endocrine abnormality, nutritional deficiency, drug reaction, or sarcoidosis. A skin biopsy specimen consistent with acquired ichthyosis may point to the presence of cutaneous sarcoidosis.