Migratory Necrolytic Erythema

Clinical presentation
  • Spreading, red, blistering and scaly annular plaques
  • Blister, erode and crust over time
  • Migrates with new lesions appearing as old ones heal
  • May leave post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
  • Mucosal involvement: painful stomatitis and glossitis, angular cheilitis, vaginitis, urethritis
  • Nail involvement: onycholysis
 
Causes
  • Glucagonoma (primary cause)
  • Pseudoglucagonoma syndrome: liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease
 
Histology
  • Classic napolitan slice appearance: from the surface to the depth, the epidermis has three different staining characteristics: parakeratotic hyperkeratosis that can progress to homogenous eosinophilic necrosis, a layer of pale vacuolated intermediate keratinocytes, relative preservation of the lower layers
 
Diagnosis
  • Glucagon levels >500
  • Malignancy screening mandatory