Cutaneous Pseudolymphoma Due to Hirudotherapy
Research article published in Turkiye parazitolojii dergisi (2019)
Abstract
Pseudolymphoma, also known as Jessner’s lymphocytic infiltration, is a benign but usually chronic, T-cell infiltrating disease with erythematous papules and plaques usually seen on the skin of the face, neck, and back. The use of leech therapy also known as hirudotherapy has increased in recent years. Here, we report a 52-year-old male patient who had undergone hirudotherapy in his neck and developed infiltrating plaques after four months. A skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Jessner’s lymphocytic infiltration. In parallel with the increasing use of hirudotherapy in recent years, the side-effect reports will likely to increase. Indications and contraindications of hirudotherapy, which is being used officially in hospitals, should be taken into consideration.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Pseudolymphoma, also known as Jessner’s lymphocytic infiltration, is a benign but usually chronic, T-cell infiltrating disease with erythematous papules and plaques usually seen on the skin of the face, neck, and back.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This case report documents a 52-year-old male who developed cutaneous pseudolymphoma (Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration) at the neck site four months after receiving hirudotherapy, confirmed by skin biopsy. The report is directly relevant to hirudotherapy practice as it describes a cutaneous adverse event temporally and anatomically linked to leech application, contributing to the limited but growing literature on side effects associated with this increasingly utilized therapy. The authors note that as hirudotherapy use expands in clinical settings, reports of such reactions may rise, underscoring the importance of established indications and contraindications. The principal limitation is that this is a single case report with no controlled data; it does not establish incidence, mechanism, or causality beyond temporal association, and it provides no insight into the leech salivary secretome or comparative safety across hirudotherapy protocols.
Citation
Cutaneous Pseudolymphoma Due to Hirudotherapy.
Temiz S et al. · Turkiye parazitolojii dergisi, 2019
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