Childhood morphea: apropos a clinical case

Abstract

Morphea is a fibrosing disease of the skin and underlying tissue that may occur in childhood as well as in adult life, and is more common in women than in men. It is a benign condition of autoimmune etiology, spontaneous remission or a chronic recurrent course. Clinically, it is characterized by a single or multiple asymptomatic sclerosed skin patches of a rounded or linear shape and chronic evolution without systemic involvement. A case is presented of a 10-year-old schoolgirl who presented at Raúl Sánchez Polyclinic in the city of Pinar del Río with brown hyperpigmented plaques with a whitish depressed center and indurated skin areas of cardboard texture and linear distribution, well defined, resistant to pinching, asymptomatic, localized on the left thigh, and of a year and a half evolution. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of linear morphea. Immunosuppressive treatment was started, accompanied by physiotherapy. Our purpose was to present a clinical case of childhood morphea, a condition infrequent in our environment. It must be considered because similarity with other dermatoses. Despite the delayed diagnosis, evolution was favorable once immunosuppressive treatment was started. It is important multidisciplinary health professional evaluation.