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Pityriasis rosea

Last reviewed: 11 Dec 2025
Last updated: 16 Aug 2022

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • herald patch
  • pruritus
  • age 10 to 35 years
  • 2- to 12-week duration
  • scale
  • located on trunk and upper extremities
  • fir-tree pattern distribution
  • located on face, palms, soles, mucosa
  • acute to subacute recurrent skin eruption
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • 2-week timing between herald patch and new lesions
  • female sex
  • prodromal symptoms
  • pigmentary alteration (severe cases/dark skin color)
Full details

Risk factors

  • age 10 to 35 years
  • female sex
Full details

Diagnostic tests

Tests to consider

  • skin biopsy
  • antistreptolysin O titers
  • potassium hydroxide (KOH) prep microscopy or fungal culture
  • rapid plasma reagin/Venereal Disease Research Laboratory
Full details

Treatment algorithm

ACUTE

mild to moderate symptoms

severe or refractory disease

refractory to all other treatments

Contributors

Authors

Daniela Kroshinsky, MD, MPH
Daniela Kroshinsky

Director of Inpatient Dermatology

Associate Professor of Dermatology

Massachusetts General Hospital

Harvard School of Medicine

Boston

MA

Disclosures

DK declares that she has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Dr Dean S. Morrell would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Eve Lowenstein, Dr Ladan Shahabi, and Dr John English, previous reviewers of this topic.

Peer reviewers

Dean S. Morrell, MD

Clinical Professor

Department of Dermatology

University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill

NC

Declarações

DSM declares that he has no competing interests.

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Referências

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Principais artigos

Chuh A, Lee A, Zawar V, et al. Pityriasis rosea - an update. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2005 Sep-Oct;71(5):311-5.Texto completo  Resumo

Chuh A, Zawar V, Lee A. Atypical presentations of pityriasis rosea: case presentations. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2005 Jan;19(1):120-6. Resumo

Contreras-Ruiz J, Peternel S, Jiménez Gutiérrez C, et al. Interventions for pityriasis rosea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Oct 30;2019(10):CD005068.Texto completo  Resumo

Artigos de referência

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