Hydroa vacciniforme associated with EBV infection in a Moroccan child

Abstract

Hydroa vacciniforme (HV) is a very rare photosensitivity disorder of childhood characterized by pruritic or painful vesicles in photo-distributed areas. We report a case of a seven-year-old male presenting with recurrent scars on the face with significant impact on psychological health. The history of the patient’s disease went back to when he was five years old and began to show eruptions on the face and forearms associated with a burning sensation, evolving recurrently with each exposure to the sun. Later, these lesions became confluent and crusted, then detached, leaving residual scars. A clinical examination revealed varioliform scars on the face, with scaly and crusted lesions on the nose and auricle (Figs. 1a – 1c). The rest of the examination revealed no adenopathy or organomegaly. Blood count, lymphocyte circulating levels, and immunophenotyping were normal and EBV serology was positive, with IgG+ and IgM-. The child refused to have a skin biopsy performed and did not return for another consultation.