The initial five classifications of pityriasis rubra pilaris, were presented to the British Association of Dermatologists in 2003 by Dr. Andrew Griffith, a well-respected London-based dermatologist. His classifications reflected 35 years of diagnosing, treating and researching PRP and have been universally accepted by dermatologists worldwide.✽ Adult Onset PRP
✽ Juvenile Onset PRP
Griffiths further divides the PRP patient population into FIVE types
Adult Onset PRP
✽ Type 1 — Classical Adult Onset PRP
✽ Type 2 — Atypical Adult Onset PRP
Juvenile Onset PRP
✽ Type 3 — Classical Juvenile Onset PRP. Usually occurs between 5 and 10 years old
✽ Type 4 — Circumscribed Juvenile Onset PRP. Occurs in pre-pubertal children. Usually confined to palms, soles, knees and elbows
✽ Type 5 — Atypical Juvenile Onset PRP. Sometimes inherited; occurs at birth or early in childhood
HIV-Associated PRP
✽ Type 6 was added subsequent to the introduction of Griffiths’ five classifications. HIV-Associated PRP is characterized by the presence of HIV infection. A Type 6 diagnosis is extremely rare and statistically excluded from patient population estimates.
EPILOGUE
No one seems to have taken credit for adding Type 6 to the list. Why is that? Could Type 6, HIV-associated PRP actually be Type 1, Adult Onset with HIV as a comorbidity? In medicine, comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional diseases or disorders co-occurring with (that is, concomitant or concurrent with) a primary disease or disorder. We will keep asking dermatologists until we get an unambiguous answer.
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