What Is Granuloma Annulare?

Granuloma annularis is a rare benign inflammatory skin disease. It often occurs in children and young people with type 1 diabetes. Skin lesions are more common in the hands or feet, but sometimes spread to the arms, neck, and trunk. Common skin tone or erythema papularis and ring-shaped lesions with a diameter of 5cm are not obvious. It is usually treated by local or intralesional injection of glucocorticoids. Severe cases can be treated with dapsone.

Basic Information

Visiting department: Dermatology
Common causes: The etiology of this disease is unknown. Patients often have a history of tuberculosis, diabetes, or insect bites.

Common symptoms: Bright red or red-brown masses gradually merge into plaques.
Contagious: no

Causes of annular granuloma

The etiology of this disease is unknown. Patients often have a history of tuberculosis, diabetes, or insect bites, trauma, sun exposure, family history, and other medical history.

Clinical manifestations of annular granuloma

Early manifestations are bright red or red-brown masses. These masses gradually merge to form circular plaques. The skin in the middle of these rings flattens and can be red or bright red. Apart from the appearance of the plaques, there were no other symptoms. Usually, the skin lesions of ring granuloma occur in the hands and feet. If it spreads to the trunk, it is called systemic ring granuloma. Most annular granulomas resolve on their own.

Circular granuloma examination

1. Laboratory examination of adult patients with disseminated annular granuloma, the red blood cell sedimentation rate is accelerated, reaching 40-50 mm / h, and antithyroid antibodies may be present in the blood; 6% to 10%.
2. Histopathological examination showed no significant changes in the epidermis. The reticular layer of the dermis had focal collagen fibrosis, inflammation and fibrosis. Collagen fibers were degenerated to varying degrees in small lesions, including lymphocytes, histiocytes, and fibroblasts. The center of the large lesion area is collagen fibrosis, and the surrounding tissue cells, lymphocytes, and fibroblasts infiltrated in a fence-like or radial arrangement.

Diagnosis of annular granuloma

Diagnosis is based on medical history, family history, clinical manifestations, and histopathological findings.

Circular Granuloma Treatment

1. Patients with primary disease have a history of tuberculosis, diabetes, or a history of insect bites, trauma, and sun exposure. To remove the primary disease, for example, diabetes can be treated by local or intralesional injection of glucocorticoids, and severe cases can be treated with dapsone.
2. Others include liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, light energy therapy, hydroxychloroquine, tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, and imiquimod.

Prognosis of annular granuloma

The disease passes slowly and can resolve on its own, relapse, or persist for a long time.

Prevention of annular granuloma

Avoid some controllable factors, such as tuberculosis, diabetes history, insect bites, trauma, and sun exposure. If you already have tuberculosis or diabetes, you should actively treat it.