Abstract

Background: Acne fulminans (AF) is a rare disorder, the most severe form of the entire clinical spectrum of acne. It is characterized by the emergence of painful inflammatory nodules that turn into ulcers, concomitant with systemic manifestations. Here, we report for the first time a Vietnamese boy with Acne fulminans successfully treated with prednisolone and ibuprofen.

Case presentation: The patient is a 14-year-old male teenager with moderate acne since the age of 13. After a day of swimming, his acne suddenly became inflamed and painful lesions were present on his face and back. He had high fever and polyarthritis, and tests showed leukocytosis, neutrophilia, and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). Severe infection was diagnosed and treated by addition of antibacterial therapy for a long period, however, the condition did not improve. When called upon to evaluate the patient, we established the diagnosis of acne fulminans and initiated treatment with prednisone (1mg/kg/day) and ibuprofen (500 mg for two times daily). Following this treatment regimen, there was a rapid improvement.

Conclusion: Herein, we have reported a Vietnamese boy with typical AF, but delayed diagnosis and treatment because of a rare condition. Our results support the role and benefit of prednisolone for AF treatment.