Painless plaques on the lower back
BMJ 2024; 384 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-076773 (Published 12 January 2024) Cite this as: BMJ 2024;384:e076773- Na Pan, postgraduate1 2,
- Tingting Gao, dermatologist1 2,
- Deqiao Qin, postgraduate1 2,
- Li Qin, dermatologist1 2
- 1Department of Dermatology, Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical college, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- 2Department of Dermatology, Wuhan No.1 Hospital, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Correspondence to L Qin kavaqin{at}163.com
A man in his 40s presented with painless zosteriform erythematous plaques covered with white scales on the left lower back for the past two weeks. He had a 10 year history of psoriasis and had been receiving subcutaneous injections of secukinumab at a fixed dose of 300 mg every four weeks for more than two years without relapse. In the previous four weeks, he had been diagnosed with herpes zoster, which presented as a unilateral distribution of oedematous erythema and clustered blisters accompanied by a paroxysmal pins and needles sensation on the left lower back. He was prescribed antivirals for one week. The blisters dried and crusted off over 10 days without post-herpetic neuralgia. Two days later, red lesions with white scales appeared atop the healing remnants of the herpes zoster. Physical examination showed erythematous patches or plaques 1-3 cm in size and covered with white scales. …
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