Upper eyelid cutaneous leishmaniasis: Exceptional and challenging location

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most endemic and neglected diseases worldwide, still representing an important public health problem. Its clinical presentations are very polymorphic and sometimes very difficult to diagnose. Among the variants described as “atypical” or “unusual”, eyelids CL is exceptional with a prevalence estimated at only 0.27-0.72% in large series. In most cases, eyelids leishmaniasis is skin-limited disease, but can exceptionally cause serious ocular complications and may lead to blindness. We present an original case of isolated upper left eyelid CL in a 28-years-old Tunisian man. As rare as it is, this atypical clinical presentation of CL deserves to be well known by clinicians and discussed in front of any palpebral lesion which does not prove itself, in patient living or returning from a country endemic for this infection.