Abstract
Melanotic lupus erythematosus (LE) is a rare and newly described form of chronic cutaneous
LE. In this review, we have synthesized existing data on the epidemiologic, clinical,
histologic, and immunologic features of melanotic LE. We performed a systematic review
using PubMed to identify eligible publications. Eight contributions fulfilled the
eligibility criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. Twenty-eight
patients with a mean age of 57.7 years were included. All patients had medium to dark
skin phototypes. The lesions presented either as solitary and localized, poorly limited,
round, or oval patches (50%) or as a more diffuse or generalized, sometimes reticulated,
hyperpigmentation (50%). Patients diagnosed with systemic LE accounted for 14% of
included cases. Antinuclear antibodies were positive in 10.7% of cases. Hydroxychloroquine
and topical steroids were the most commonly used treatments. Complete resolution of
the lesions was noted in 27.27% of cases. No patient experienced atrophy, destruction,
or deformity of the skin. Melanotic LE appears to affect mainly patients with dark
phototypes. It is characterized by late age at the onset of disease and an overall
good prognosis.
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Published online: July 27, 2022
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