Paederus dermatitis: An observational study

Abstract

Aim: Paederus dermatitis (PD) is a form of irritant contact dermatitis caused by Paederus spp. It can mimic many dermatological conditions. In this study, we aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics of the cases with Paederus dermatitis. Material and Methods: The study included the patients with PD who admitted to our outpatient clinic between May 2017 and November 2018. The study was carried out in a private hospital at Batman province, a city in the southeast Anatolia region of Turkey. Clinical and demographical features of all the cases were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 44 patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the patients was 25.2 years. The disease peaked in August and September. The most common localization was head-neck region. On the dermatologic examination, three main clinical patterns were observed: dermatitis linearis (n=31, 70.4%), localized pustular dermatosis (n=4, 9%) and kissing dermatitis (n=7, 15.9%). Two (4.54%) cases showed a combination of two patterns. Three cases (6.8%) had periorbital involvement. Conclusion: Paederus dermatitis is a form of irritant contact dermatitis which can easily be misdiagnosed. Awareness about the clinical patterns of the disease and its typical features is essential for true diagnosis and management.