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Question: I am a 38 yo female. I broke out in a "rash" in February that began on my arms and progressed to my trunk, upper thighs, groin and other heat-producing areas of my body. The rash started out as small red dots and progressed to blisters, which burst and crusted over. The entire process occurred over a 14 to 18 day period. The entire rash from beginning to end resembled "chicken pox". I went to a GP toward the end of the outbreak and he prescribed zyrtec (Note: This is an antihistamine preparation used for itch and allergies like benedryl, chlortrimeton, hismanal,etc), which alleviated the itching.

In August, I again broke out in a rash and immediately began taking zyrtec. The rash never reached the "blister " stage, but lasted approximately 14-16 days.

I made an appointment with an allergist and was tested for a series of allergies -- all of which were negative. Upon his consultation with a skin specialist on staff, she suggested Mucha-Habermann. Unfortunately, by the time I could get my appointment with the allergist, the rash had run it's course.

Any suggestions or information would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: This is a typical presentation. When I went to the dermatologist, they did not tell me the results of the biopsy until I said it was like chicken pox. That was at least a year into the problem, and they had indicated I was doing it to myself somehow before I had this information. Now I know there is a reason for all the symptoms. Also, know that any succeeding episode is usually much less intense than the first.

There are some herbs that help some of the symptoms. Taking a look at a good herbal may give you some ideas. Your library should have herbals. Book sellers like Rodale and Reader's Digest sell them. One of my sites, "glory of the garden" sells them including the Rodale and Reader's Digest books. I started working with the herbs again because traditional medical avenues were not making a big difference. Pick your symptom and check out an herbal helper.

Question: I was treated with Elimite for scabies, the bumps went away for about a month, then they returned. They come and go, like crops. Any new products that cure or ease the problem.

Answer: There is no known cure. They do come in crops and that is the word used for the groups of lesions that appear. The fact that the Elimite helped, even temporarily, may be significant and is the kind of information this site may reveal for us.

Products that may help, depend on symptoms. For example, I had nerve pain wherever the lesions appeared. I didn't want to use narcotics, so I worked with herbs. Iam also trying to find herbs that will heal the lesions faster. UV is used but it still is not a cure and the lesions can come back.

Along with the traditional methods, I would use several alternative methods including; herbs, relaxation techniques, nutritional methods, regular exercise, plenty of fluids, etc.

Question: Why do the lesions disappear when exposed to Sunlight?

Answer: Many skin problems do respond to the UV (ultraviolet) portion of sunlight and dermatologists use UV light for that reason. UV has several physiological effects including; erythema production, pigmentation of the skin, production of vitamin D, bactericidal effects and various effects on metaolism. All of these tend to heal the lesions present, but again, it is not a cure. Also remember that full sun over time can be detrimental to the skin.

Question: My first bout started 4 months ago , and I have just broken out again and am covered with sores. I have been to both a local dermatologist and specialist, and have received no comfort in their answers. I don't know if the disease is viral, bacterial, or what?? Who can I contact by mail or email, that is seriously researching and can provide help regarding this disease. It's taking over my life and I'm terribly distraught. Please provide me with some help.

Answer: Unfortunately, your dermatologist and specialist do not know all the answers. Medicine is still as much an art as a science. With all we have learned over the years there is much more to go. PLEVA is an excellent example of one of the holes in our knowledge. It is neither a virus nor a bacteria according to what we know now. This is not definate however. There seems to be no familial connection, and, yet, both my cousin and I have had the disease(30 years apart). None of the exposure types you mention within your questionaire or you question section would be responsible according to what is known. Remember, there are not enough "suffurers" of this disease to make it prominent in the research. That is one of the reasons for this site. The Germans seem to be doing the most research on the disease. I am keeping my eye on their publications. If you find more information, please let me know and I will publish it for us all. This probably will not provide much comfort to you. A chat group for support may be worthwhile. I will talk to a friend and try to set one up. I'll list it here if we can get it started.

Question: What is pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta? I can't find any information on the disease. I would really like to know more about it because I have it, and there are so many questions I have about it. The length of time I will have it, what I can expect from the disease, will it come back later, etc.

Answer: Part of the reason for this study is because there is not enough about PLEVA(intitials of the disease). There is a synopsis of the basics in the information area of this site. Soon a much more detailed information site will be added. to click to if interested. It is felt that this disease is like psoriasis. It comes and goes without a particular reason though stress or trauma seem to be involved frequently. Many people get lesions at change of seasons every year after the first episode. It may be familial but there is no definate link shown so far. There are numerous treatments including hydrocortisone, UV treatments, antibiotics, etc. None of them help everyone and none are a cure. I've been trying some herbal remedies like lavender oil on the lesions. You can check out an herbal at your library. You can also read about PLEVA in the dermatology books there. Maybe the information we are collecting in the questionaires will help in the future.

Question: Two derma-pathologists have diagnosed four biopsies as being consistent with mycosis fungoides; one prominent pathologist examined one biopsy and diagnosed it as pityriasis lichenoides chronica. After 19 PUVA treatments, the skins was clear, however, since that time, the problems (while not as severe as it was originally) remains. Continue with the PUVA treaments twice a week. Last evening was my 42nd treatment (about 14 minutes). While PUVA seemed to work initially, it really isn't clearing up the problem so that I can only have the treatment once a week or perhaps once every two weeks. Any other successful treatments out there???

Answer: If this is pleva, treatment is difficult. According to several people I have spoken to, the emergence of new lesions in the spring and fall is not unusual. As you have noticed, the subsequent episodes are much milder. A hydrocortisone tape sometimes works to calm them down if you have not tried that.

Question: My Gums are sore and swollen. Is this related somehow? Can Mucha-Habermann's disease be cured or only controlled? What are effective treatments? How is it contracted?

Answer: According to most "experts" there are no systemic symptoms of Mucha Habermann's or PLEVA. However. one of the reasons I started the questionnaire is because every one I've been involved with has had some systemic symptoms. The question is, did the trauma or disease that caused the other symptoms, trigger the PLEVA. That seems to be what the dermatologists, etc. are saying: Some other problem occurred which triggered the rash. I don't feel convinced of that. All of my problem with the disease is below the waist and I've had all kinds of symptoms. Pain has been one of the most difficult symptoms to control. The other was making the rash heal. So, to answer your question, according to the "book knowledge", the sore gums wouldn't be considered from the disease. According to my clinical knowledge, I think it's possible for this to be related. There is no known cure for the disease but it does disappear at times and the succeeding episodes are less of a problem. So information section for treatments realizing none of them is a cure. It is not known how this is "contracted" or triggered. They think stress of some kind may be responsible. Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if there is any thing else.

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