New cutaneous manifestations of systemic diseases.

In recent years, especially with the advent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, new skin disorders associated with systemic disease have been described in the literature. Eosinophilic folliculitis and pruritic papules of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are clinically similar lesions that respond to phototherapy. Bacillary angiomatosis, another HIV-related skin disease that is caused by a pleomorphic gram-negative organism, resembles Kaposi's sarcoma clinically but is curable if treated early with antibiotics. Toxic strep syndrome, a scarlatiniform, desquamative eruption associated with hypotension, fever and multiorgan system dysfunction, is caused by group A streptococcal soft tissue infection. Paraneoplastic pemphigus, a recently characterized autoimmune vesicular eruption, produces painful mucocutaneous ulcerations in patients with an occult neoplasm, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia or malignant lymphoma.