Abstract
Total 8 cases of generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) were experienced at the Department of Dermatology, in Hirosaki University Hospital from 1971 to 1991. These 8 patients were classified into three groups according to their clinical features. The first group was characterized by recurrent pustular attacks without any psoriatic or psoriasis-like lesions. The second group demonstrated psoriatic lesions before the appearance of a pustular rash, while the third group was defined as having no particular features such as those characterized in either the first or second group. The first, second and third groups consisted of 2, 5 and 1 cases, respectively. The last case in the third group had previously shown seborrheic dermatitis before GPP appeared. In the acute phase, a lot of intensive pustulization was seen in the first and third groups when compared with that in the second group. An upper respiratory infection was thought to be the main cause for pustulization in the first and third groups. In the second group, however, treatments such as topical or systemic steroid therapy, as well as PUVA therapy, in addition to the presence of an upper respiratory infection were assumed to be causal factors.
