Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis: a review of the Japanese published works.

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF), also known as Ofuji's disease, is an inflammatory dermatosis that was first described in Japan in 1970. More than 300 cases have been reported so far, and 113 Japanese cases have been reported in Japan since 1980. To comprehend the characteristics of Japanese EPF cases, we classified these cases into three types: classic, immunosuppression-associated (IS-EPF), and infancy-associated (I-EPF). Trends in age of onset and in distribution and characterization of eruptions differed between the types. We found 91 cases of classic EPF (mean age, 39.7 years), consisting of 66 males (73%) and 25 females (27%), in most of which eruptions primarily affected the face; 18 cases of IS-EPF (44.2 years), consisting of 15 males (83%) and three females (17%), in which eruptions affected the face less predominantly; and four cases of I-EPF (7.0 years), consisting of two males (50%) and two females (50%), primarily affecting the scalp. The number of IS-EPF cases has increased since the late 1990s, reflecting the increasing number of HIV-positive patients in Japan. Systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were effective in more than 70% of cases. Dimethyl diphenyl sulfone, antibiotics including minocycline, psoralen plus ultraviolet A therapy and ultraviolet B treatments worked in some cases. Topical steroids and tacrolimus were also effective in some cases of EPF, while topical indomethacin was less effective.