[Xanthelasma and juvenile xanthogranuloma in a 7-year-old boy].

BACKGROUND: Palpebrum xanthelasma is the most common type of xanthoma seen in adults but it is extremely rare in children. We report an original case of bilateral xanthelasma palpebrarum associated with juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) in a 7-year-old child. Only two cases of xanthelasma in children have been described to date. The association of xanthelasma and JXG has never been described.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 7-year-old boy presented xanthelasmas on both eyelids. At the same time, pinkish JXG papules appeared on the child's trunk. The boy had been diagnosed at the age of 10 months with myelogenous leukaemia, which was in remission. He also had a familial history of hypercholesterolaemia. The skin lesions were removed and microscopic examination confirmed the diagnosis of xanthelasmas and JXG.

DISCUSSION: This patient's presentation is unusual in several respects: the presence of xanthelasma in a child, appearance of JXG at an advanced age, and the association of these two diseases in a child with a past history of leukaemia. The occurrence of these skin lesions did not appear to be linked to the history of malignant blood disease in this patient.