Therapeutic strategies for pigmented purpuric dermatoses: a systematic literature review

BACKGROUND: Pigmented purpuric dermatoses (PPDs) is a group of diseases with distinguishing clinical characteristics, characterized mainly by purpuric skin lesions. The course of PPDs is chronic and recurrences are common. Although PPDs are considered to be benign, the associated symptoms, such as pruritus, and their cosmetic effect can be extremely distressing to patients. So far no evidence-based treatment has been found to be drastically effective in a large scale of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This paper is a systematic overview of all the reported successful treatments described in the literature. Articles derived from the databases PubMed and SCOPUS and published between 1990 and 2018, were analyzed for this review. The study was conducted according to the PRISMA Guidelines. RESULTS: In the literature there are several case series and case reports, demonstrating encouraging results with the use of various agents, such as local calcineurin-inhibitors, colchicine, pentoxifylline, immunosuppresants, UV- and Laser-therapy. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first review focusing on the therapeutic strategies for pigmented purpuric dermatoses. This paper aims to raise awareness for the need to conduct larger systematic studies in order to adequately evaluate the effectiveness of the above mentioned therapeutic strategies.