Granuloma Faciale

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Basics

Description

Granuloma faciale (GF) is an uncommon benign and chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by single/multiple facial cutaneous nodules.

Epidemiology

Primarily a disease of middle-aged white men with rare reports of GF in Japanese, blacks, and children

Incidence/Prevalence
Rare; precise incidence and prevalence are unknown.

Etiology and Pathophysiology

Etiology and pathogenesis are not clearly defined, but several hypotheses exist.

  • Some cases are idiopathic.
  • Production of interleukin-5 by a clonal T-cell population may lead to attraction of eosinophils to the affected area.
  • A γ-interferon–mediated process has also been proposed.
  • Sun exposure may play a role, as lesions are more common in sun-exposed areas and sunlight may darken lesions.

Risk Factors

Sun exposure and heat exposure can darken lesions.

Commonly Associated Conditions

Eosinophilic angiocentric fibrosis (EAF), which involves mucosal lesions of the nose/mouth, may have concurrent GF in approximately 1/4 of cases and should be considered in GF patients with nasal/upper respiratory symptoms.

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