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Angular granuloma (granuloma annulare) is an inflammatory skin disease that is chronic or recurrent in nature. It affects women in particular. It is manifested by the appearance of eruptions on the skin in the form of symmetrical annular formations.
Although its etiology is still unknown, it is believed to be caused by an immune reaction to an unknown antigen or caused by e.g. insect bites, injuries, antiviral vaccinations, tuberculin tests, viral and bacterial infections, skin exposure to the sun, tumors and diseases of the pancreas or the immune system. Presumably diseases of the thyroid gland and diabetes may increase the likelihood of developing this condition, but this has not yet been confirmed. This ailment mainly affects children, adolescents and young adults. Annular granuloma it is not contagious and the course of the disease is mild. Use the information in this article to find out what the symptoms are annular granulomawith what diseases it is most often differentiated and how you can get rid of it.
Symptoms of the annular granuloma
Sometimes the correct diagnosis annular granuloma it is heavy and causes a lot of trouble for doctors. In order to diagnose the disease, a biopsy should be performed along with a histopathological examination of the collected material. Oddly in some cases granuloma annulare disappears shortly after the biopsy is performed. Sometimes a person struggling with this type granuloma is treated for some time in a way that is completely inadequate to his condition, for example for periarticular nodules, ringworm or annular sarcoidosis. Which is why annular granuloma should be differentiated from other granulomatous dermatoses. Its characteristic symptoms include an annular rash consisting of small hard skin or subcutaneous nodules or papules that turn pink, red, or purple in color. The center of the ring may be slightly concave, pale or light brown. Their size ranges from a few millimeters (approx. 2-5) to a few centimeters (6-8). Typically, annular lesions appear on the backs of the hands and feet, and on the forearms. The lesions appear less frequently on the face, torso, arms and legs. There are no other symptoms of this condition. Ulcers that may develop during the decay process annular granuloma they often resolve on their own. The eruptions that have disappeared leave no scars and disappear about 2 years after they appear on the skin. There are several types of this dermatosis: erythematous, limited, subcutaneous, seedling and perforating. In the case of ring lichen planus, the lesions are rather different in location and affect in addition to the skin of the nails and mucous membranes. It is accompanied by severe itching that does not occur with annular granulomaand most importantly – the lesions are simply flat. In contrast, ring sarcoidosis is a much more severe and complicated disease that affects many organs at the same time. The skin changes appearing in the course of its course are darker and take on a bluish-brown color. Mentioned above when differentiating from the annular kernel periarticular nodules appear only around the joints, which means that they are located much deeper than the eruptions that characterize granuloma annulare.
How to get rid of annular granuloma
There are many methods to get rid of annular granuloma. Treatment of this inflammatory skin ailment is carried out with the use of topical preparations (ointments containing vitamin E or cortisone) and oral preparations (e.g. taking vitamin E) and appropriate treatments including freezing of lesions, photochemotherapy and the use of a laser. If the lesions are single, the appropriate concentration of tacrolimus (0,1%), pimecrolimus (1%) or corticosteroids (demovate, betamethasone) in occlusive dressings, intralesional injections (triamcinolone) are used. The general treatment of disseminated and refractory lesions also includes sulfones (dapsone, pentoxifylline) and antimalarial drugs. Recurrent and severe cases are treated with fumaric acid esters or cyclosporine. Freezing with ethyl chloride, liquid nitrogen, PUVA photochemotherapy or phototherapy using ultraviolet A1 (UVA1) radiation are also performed.
Annular granuloma and diabetes
While exacerbations are not considered dangerous in themselves, they may be associated with other comorbid conditions such as, for example, diabetes, pancreatic disease, or cancer. If the lesion does not go away on its own, or the patient has not been diagnosed with it annular granulomait is worth consulting a doctor again in order to find the cause of the eruptions.