BACKGROUND: Erythema palmare hereditarium (EPH), also known as Lane's disease, is a rare, benign condition presenting as persistent erythema involving the palms. EPH can appear at birth or later in life and usually in at least two members of the same family, although a sporadic case has been reported. METHODS: We report five cases of EPH and offer a review of the current literature. The first and second cases are twin boys presenting with erythema mainly on the thenar and hypothenar eminences and on the phalanges that appeared 8 months after birth. The third case is a girl with congenital palmar erythema and two other capillary malformations. The fourth case is a 58-year-old woman with palmar erythema that appeared after pregnancy. Her 32-year-old daughter had presented with the same palm redness since birth. RESULTS: A review of the literature shows that women are affected almost three times more than men. Dermoscopic evaluation showed red structureless areas with arborizing vessels, mainly running parallel along follicular openings. CONCLUSION: EPH should be considered in all patients presenting with palmar erythema, especially in familial long-lasting forms. It can be congenital or acquired, but the pathogenetic mechanism is unclear. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dermatoscopic study of EPH and the largest case series reported in the literature, involving two families and one sporadic case.
BACKGROUND:Erythema palmare hereditarium (EPH), also known as Lane's disease, is a rare, benign condition presenting as persistent erythema involving the palms. EPH can appear at birth or later in life and usually in at least two members of the same family, although a sporadic case has been reported. METHODS: We report five cases of EPH and offer a review of the current literature. The first and second cases are twin boys presenting with erythema mainly on the thenar and hypothenar eminences and on the phalanges that appeared 8 months after birth. The third case is a girl with congenital palmar erythema and two other capillary malformations. The fourth case is a 58-year-old woman with palmar erythema that appeared after pregnancy. Her 32-year-old daughter had presented with the same palm redness since birth. RESULTS: A review of the literature shows that women are affected almost three times more than men. Dermoscopic evaluation showed red structureless areas with arborizing vessels, mainly running parallel along follicular openings. CONCLUSION: EPH should be considered in all patients presenting with palmar erythema, especially in familial long-lasting forms. It can be congenital or acquired, but the pathogenetic mechanism is unclear. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dermatoscopic study of EPH and the largest case series reported in the literature, involving two families and one sporadic case.