Kaposi's Varicelliform Eruption After Treatment With Ixekizumab in a Patient With Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris

Cureus. 2023 May 1;15(5):e38395. doi: 10.7759/cureus.38395. eCollection 2023 May.

Abstract

Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) is a rare condition characterized by red-orange plaques with islands of sparing with follicular and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis. The disease can be difficult to treat and often requires patients to trial multiple therapeutic options. In recent years, targeted biologic therapies have increasingly been trialed due to their relative efficacy and favorable safety profile. Ixekizumab, an interleukin-17 inhibitor, is one such therapy that has demonstrated efficacy in PRP with few reported adverse events. We present a PRP patient who developed Kaposi's varicelliform eruption followed by a pseudomonal superinfection three months after initiation of ixekizumab.

Keywords: biologic treatment; herpes simplex virus; il-17 inhibitor therapy; ixekizumab; kaposi’s varicelliform eruption; pityriasis rubra pilaris.

Publication types

  • Case Reports