Author: Dr Ian Coulson, Consultant Dermatologist and Editor-in-Chief, 2022.
Edited by the DermNet content department
This 40-year-old lady has developed an itchy eruption over her neck and upper back. It has not improved with the use of emollients and topical steroids.
There is a rippled hyperpigmented maculopapular eruption on the neck.
These features are typical of macular amyloidosis, a reaction that is thought to result from perpetual scratching of the affected areas. It is common in both men and women of Asian heritage.
Histopathologically, amyloid deposits are seen within a skin biopsy; furthermore, macular amyloid is not associated with systemic disease as opposed to systemic AL amyloid that is associated with plasma cell dyscrasias.
