Benign Cephalic Histiocytosis in a British‐African Child

Abstract:  A 14‐month‐old British‐African child presented with an asymptomatic eruption localized to her face and upper limbs. At the age of 17 months the eruption had started to spontaneously regress. Histologic examination of a biopsy specimen from a papular lesion on the arm showed a histiocytic infiltrate in the superficial dermis. Immunohistochemical studies showed negative staining for the Langerhans cell markers, CD1a and S‐100 protein, while staining for the macrophage/histiocytic markers, CD68 and factor XIIIa, were positive. The clinical and histologic features in this patient are consistent with the rare, non‐Langerhans, histiocytic disorder known as benign cephalic histiocytosis. As far as we are aware, this represents the first published occurrence in a child of African origin, emphasizing the widespread nature of this condition.