Erythroderma and its management*

The thermoregulatory and cardiovascular complications of erythroderma may require urgent treatment with topical, oral and even intravenous corticosteroids: such treatment can save lives and the tendency to undertreat erythrodermic patients in the past may have contributed to the death rate in this condition. By contrast, malignant lymphoma in erythroderma has probably been over‐diagnosed: it is important that toxic antilymphoma drugs should not be given unless the diagnosis is certain. ‘Systemic effects of skin disease’ are common in erythroderma: they rarely need treating as they disappear when the skin clears.