Dapsone in the treatment of miliary lupus of the face

In an uncontrolled study of twelve patients with miliary lupus of the face, dapsone gave good therapeutic results. Miliary lupus of the face (MLF) is an asymptomatic papular eruption affecting the central area of the face, which runs a chronic course and involutes spontaneously with scarring. Histopathologically, the papules usually show scattered masses of tuberculoid granulomata composed of epithelioid cells, giant cells, and an encircling rim of small round mononuclear cells in the dermis. The actiology and pathogenesis of this condition are still unknown. The treatment of MLF has not been satisfactory despite the use of many topical and systemic agents. In this paper we report that dapsone has been found to be beneficial in the treatment of MLF and has accelerated its resolution in twelve patients.