Q&A Six

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Question: My co-worker and I have developed symptoms which appear to be PLEVA. Mine developed eight months ago. Hers has just developed. It is important to note that we work in together in a room the size of a broom closet (with eight computers) which is an open lab for students. Neither of our families have developed common symptoms. Do you think that our PLEVA, if that is indeed what it is, could be caused by our work environment? Also could this be a stress related condition?

Answer: Stress could be related in that it can reduce the effectiveness of your immune system. There is no evidence stress can cause PLEVA. Make sure you know what the disease is because there could be something in your environment related to the occurance and you need to the diagnosis to make that decision.

Questions: I want to start by saying thank you for posting the Mucha Habermann site. So far it is been difficult to find information and your site is truly a big help! If you start a support group, I would not only be very interested but I would also be willing to volunteer my time. (Respondent: Please note neither of the email addresses you gave worked)

First of all, I know you are doing reseach and because of this I want to let you know of some similarities in symptoms or causes that your other "e-mailers" have responded to you with. I am a 28 female and this is my first outbreak with PLEVA (about 30 days now) . The only thing I have that is different is that I had a lot of dental work done recently and that I have been under a lot of stress. The only other thing I can think of is that last year I had my blood work done and part of my white blood cell count was low (my eosiniphils should have been between 2-4 and the count was 1). It was a year ago and I never paid much mind to it (I never even spoke to a doctor about it). Also, my mother was diagnosed with Mycosis Fungoidis about 3 years ago. But never PLEVA. I realize that this is a long shot but she had dental work done just prior to her outbreak also.

Here is my question. This is my first outbreak and they put me on erythromicin and that seemed to calm the blistering down but didn't stop the spreading. Now they want to put me on tetracycline and then on methotrexate and PUVA if that does not work. I DO NOT want to go this route. It seems to me like a guessing game and I would rather do it holistically. Do you have any holistic suggestions? Should I be working on my immune system or on my skin? Is there any vitiamin or mineral I should be increasing? Thanks!

Answer: With some of the information coming in it might be worth being tested for herpes 7 and using one of the acyclovirs or family if it is positive. The other treatments are for infection and to help clear the skin. According to most of the people writing in, these treatments sometimes help and sometimes do not. None of them are "cures" for PLEVA. As far as my own case, they did little. I used a formula tincture of herbs (St. John's Wort, Vervain, Ginger, Skullcap, Siberian Ginseng, Licorice Root, Valerian) that I made after reading herbals (I've listed some of the ones I have found most useful on this site particularly Herbs for Health and Healing by Kathi Keville) and an oil formula I also made with Lavender, Tea Tree, Vitamin E, and Almond oil. These have helped both the discomfort I had and to clear my skin with less damage. It was making marks like chicken pox. Yes, I think working on the immune system is extremely important. Keeping stress levels under control with herbs, sleep, proper diet, relaxation techniques, a quart of water a day to keep the toxins washed from the system, all of these may help. I will be starting a chat room as of March 25th and hope that will help.

Question: After 7 months of frustration and a multitude of diagnoses I have been diagnosed with PLC. I have not displayed any of the acute signs and had a reddish-brown rash appearing on my trunk gradually over time. I am a health-care worker and around the time my rash started I was treating a patient whose colostomy bag leaked. Could this have lead to exposure to herpes 7, or is it only related to PLEVA? One GP gave me a cortisone injection (thinking I had an allergic reaction to something) and it cleared up the rash in a few days, however in a few weeks the rash was back, much worse than before. Thank you for the site, it is much easier to deal with this problem if you feel that something (anything) can help.

Answer: What the new information may indicate is that herpes 7 is the cause of PLEVA. I still have not found the reference and have now contacted the National Health Institutes to try to get information. Feces and urine may be the agent that transmits it so if this patient is positive for herpes 7 and herpes 7 is the cause of PLEVA then there would be a correlation. Alot of "ifs" of course.

Question: Thank you,for your web sight Beg,etc. It was very informative.I'm begging for more information,please help me. My condition is worsening and very frustrating. My H.M.O.is a joke,and offers no help. Any information you could send me would be of great help.

Answer: Mucha-Habermann's may be caused by herpes seven. I had the test for herpes seven (an easy blood test) because I have the disease which is how the site became a reality. It was positive. If this is the cause, one of the medications which may help to at least back off the symptoms (it will not cure the disease if it is a virus and has no cure at this time) is the acyclovir family. Ask your doctor if he would be willing to order the test and/or one of this family for you. Another site I started was Glory of the Garden. That site was started before I knew about the possibility of herpes seven. I had terrible nerve pain at the time (and this may have been due to the PLEVA because it is not unusual to have pain with herpetic problems like shingles and cold sores since they occur on nerve endings), didn't want to take pain medication because of its effects on me, and began to look for help from herbal or complementary medicines. I developed a formula of a group of tinctures after reading several herbal books said to help nerve pain I called "Billie's Boon" and it helped. I also developed a formula skin oil to heal the lesions better called Lavender Line skin oil and developed it in a massage oil. These helped the large ulcerations I had. Hope this helps. Any other questions, please let me know.

Question: I have had a rash x 4 months which I believe to be PLEVA. The two biopsies indicated an allergic type reaction similar to insect bites. I am female,48 and have not had much success with antibiotics or cortizone creams. My dr. thinks it is possible that it could be PLEVA. The pathologist labeled it "itchy,red bump disease". How do we come to a definite diagnosis? I am a nurse at a college health clinic.

Answer: You may need a new biopsy or a different dermatologist if it continues. If a herpes seven blood test is positive that may be at least a start.

Question: Are pitiriasis lichenoides and lymphomatoid papulosis related? Thank you very much.

Answer: The biopsies for these two diseases seem to be different so they do not seem to be related. You might be interested in looking at an interesting site about lymphomatoid papulosis.

Question: (The above question was asked by this individual also.) I have pityriasis lichenoides for 2.5 years (without biopsy), sometimes PLEVA and sometimes chronica (PLC). At first I had a lot of papules. After 9 months I have 0 to 4 small, polimorphic papules, sometimes with an initial (24 hours of duration) eritematous halo and mild pruritus. Occasionally one papule last more than 6 - 8 weeks. I have not had treatment. Do you think it is LyP, PLC or PLEVA? What can I do? Is the histology (biopsy) mandatory?. So I think there is not treatment for PL nor LyP, what can I win with the biopsy? Thank you.

Answer: To try to tell you which of these diseases this is without seeing it, is impossible. For a semi-definate diagnosis (biopsy does not always give a definate diagnosis), biopsy would be recommended. The possible diagnosis would probably be the only benefit of knowing at this time since there is not a definative treatment for either and the present treatments appear to be similar. If all your lesions are papules and no ulcerations like appear in chickenpox, it may be more likely to be LyP. PLEVA an PLEVC (V for variliformis or varying forms) could have a papular form but it would probably not be the only type. As far as things to do, reading the information below may help.

Question: I have never been pregnant-will this disease affect the unborn fetus once I do become pregnant? Also--how long does this disease last--I get breakouts infrequently, and I have for the past 4 years. I was told that this disease is caused from my skins reaction to some sort of unknown infection. At the time I was diagnosed I had a planters wart on my toe that was stubborn and hard to get rid of --could this be the infection that my body was responding to? Thank you-I look forward to any information that you send me.

Answer: I have no information about pregnancy and this disease. A herpetic type disease like genital herpes with an active outbreak can be acquired if the lesions are present in and around the genital area. Since 1) there is no definate information that this is an herpetic disease or 2) it seldom occurs in the genital area or 3) there is no definate information that this is passed within families, it would appear doubtful that this would affect either a pregnancy or fetus. The only connection with this disease that could be raised is that the stress of pregnancy may cause an outbreak since stress may be related. However, even this seems doubtful. As you can see from the information in this area, people have had lesions appear infrequently for 30 years or more. They do become less bothersome and less numerous. Some people have had one episode and then never had more. Obviously, that means none of us have the answer to how long this will last. Stress may be involved with appearance of a cropping as stated above, and any infection may be related to stress since stress seems to affect the immune system in a negative way. This would seem to be the only connection since the disease has appeared in people with no other infection present.

Question: On one of the posted questions a person said he went to a 3rd dermatologist who said PLEVA was caused from a #7herpes virus from urine and feces. I have PLEVA and I was working in a mental health facility that had feces all over the place. I came down with PLEVA after 1 mo. of working there. Could you please get me the name of that Dr. I need documentation.

Answer: The question you mention states that the doctor read an article that said this was the cause but I have been unable to find the article as yet and I do not have the name of the dermatologist. Contacting him and not being his patient would probably not be productive (note second note). Below is a second note from that person and the dermatologist was not helpful in giving specifics. However, imbedded in your note is the true question which is how to prove you acquired this disease in a particular worksite. Several things would have to occur whether you had a copy of the article (which I will continue to search for) or not. One: a blood test to prove you have herpes seven and, two, a test to prove that someone you were exposed to had the disease. In a health care setting, you should be using universal precautions (ie, gloves when in contact with bodily fluids, hand washing, mask and gown when bodily fluid exposure may be more dramatic, etc.). These precautions should prevent you from acquiring this disease especially since people living in the same household seldom acquire it. If there is something else I can help with please let me know or talk to the dermatologist who diagnosed you.

Question: Can a dentist pull an infected tooth, or should a dentist pull one, should I say and what can happen if it is done.

Answer: Most dentists will give antibiotics for a least a few days before an infected tooth is pulled. The chance of more infection is too high when an infected tooth is pulled because the blood vessels and related systems are disturbed when this occurs.

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