Erythroderma, also referred to as exfoliative dermatitis, is a skin condition that is characterized by erythroderma and scaling across over 80 to 90% of the body surface area. It can be caused by a variety of systemic and cutaneous diseases (e.g. psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, non-atopic dermatitis), as well as drug hypersensitivity reactions, and a subtype of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (Sézary syndrome). The incidence of erythroderma is estimated to be around 1 per 100,000 in the adult population, and it is more common in older adults and males. The approximate prevalence of erythroderma is 0.1% in children, who may have primary dermatoses or an underlying infection, inflammatory skin disease, ichthyosis, or congenital immunodeficiency. Erythroderma is treated via symptom management and addressing the underlying etiology.

In this learning module, you will find a key point review on erythroderma focused on epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, differential diagnosis and management. To test your knowledge, we refer you to the associated Quiz (short answer format questions) and clinical vignettes simulating OSCE examinations. We hope you find this module useful and if you choose to submit new questions or vignettes to increase the content of this module or post comments on how we can improve this module for your learning, we look forward to them.

Select how you would like to proceed below:

• Bolognia, J., Schaffer, J. V., & Cerroni, L. (Eds.). (2018). Dermatology (Fourth). Elsevier.
• Photo courtesy of DermNet NZ.