Search

Erythema multiforme (EM) also known as polymorph erythema is an acute skin disease of immunological nature with or without mucous membrane involvement, which may behave as chronic recurrent. It presents with distinctive targets like skin lesions, often together with ulcers or bullae in mucous membranes (oral, genital or ocular). Among its clinical forms are: a minor form characterized by a mild skin syndrome and its major form that manifests as a skin disease with marked mucosal damage. Among its main differential diagnoses are Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Lyell Syndrome (Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEC)). It has an estimated incidence < 1%, with its major form being slightly more frequent than its minor form (0. 8-6 per million/year). It can occur at any age, presenting a peak incidence at the age between 20 and 30 years, with a slight predominance of males with a 3:2 ratio, without racial predilection. Its presentation in pediatric age is rare, even more so in early childhood. Minor recurrent EM is more common in this population. This paper reports a case of EM in the pediatric population as a rare form of exanthematic presentation, addressed at the Department of Pediatrics of the Complejo Asistencial Victor Rios Ruiz (CAVRR) in the city of Los Angeles, Chile this year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]