Long-term follow-up of a patient with eruptive melanocytic nevi after Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Eruptive melanocytic nevi (MN) are a rare phenomenon characterized by the simultaneous, abrupt onset of hundreds of MN, often in a grouped distribution. There are few studies on this topic in the literature. We followed up a patient who developed eruptive MN 38 years ago after Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Herein we document this patient's progress and review the literature on this unusual phenomenon. OBSERVATIONS: For 38 years, the patient's lesions have remained stable, without signs of malignant degeneration. We discuss the possible etiology and natural history of this condition in 2 major patient populations: those with bullous disorders and those with systemic immunosuppression.
CONCLUSIONS: We postulate that the etiology and natural course of eruptive MN may differ between the 2 main populations of patients at risk for eruptive MN, with MN arising after bullous disorders being more likely to remain benign compared with those in patients with ongoing immunosuppression. However, this hypothesis has yet to be proved, and it will require long-term surveillance of individuals who have developed eruptive MN to determine its merit.