Utility of acitretin in improving quality of life in lipoid proteinosis

Abstract

Lipoid proteinosis is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, the exact incidence of which is unknown. It initially manifests as hoarseness followed by cutaneous findings, including blisters on trauma-prone sites, waxy papules, and pock-like atrophic scarring. Major morbidity in this disease is persistent hoarseness due to hyaline deposition on the vocal cords. Acitretin has recently been discovered to have a prominent role in the improvement of cutaneous manifestations and hoarseness of voice caused by this disease. We report one such case with documented improvement in voice with voice samples and direct laryngoscopic findings before and after treatment with acitretin.