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Background: The distinction between chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus and Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration of the skin is still not clear. Objective: To investigate the difference between chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus and Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration of the skin in an objective and quantitative manner. Methods: Clinical photographs were examined for erythema quantification using two erythema parameters (a* and erythema dose), and histological images were assessed by computer-aided image analysis. Results: The difference between normal and erythematous skin was more prominent using erythema dose than a*, but no significant differences among the three diseases were observed. The correlation between inflammatory dermal cell infiltration and epidermal thickness, as well as that between erythema parameters and histopathological features, was not significant. Conclusion: This is the first attempt to use computer-aided image analysis for the differentiation of similar skin diseases. However, the differentiation between these diseases using quantitative computer-aided image analysis was still not possible.

A very peculiar type of skin lymphocytic infiltration is the elective mediodorsal localization: two characteristic cases are described, one of them associated with lung Hodgkin’s disease. On the basis of these two cases, the authors regard the lymphocytic infiltrate as an entity definitely distinct from chronic lupus erythematosus, but probably related to benign lymphocytic reticulosis.

We describe an otherwise healthy mother and son who have developed Jessner/Kanof’s lymphocytic infiltration of the skin. This is the first description of this condition occurring in a parent and child in this fashion.