A Retrospective Clinicopathological Analysis of Pediatric Cutaneous Mastocytosis Cases

This study aims to retrospectively evaluate the clinical and laboratory features of pediatric mastocytosis patients followed at Kocaeli University Hospital between 2018 and 2024. Mastocytosis is a rare disease characterized by the abnormal accumulation of mast cells in tissues, and the most common form in children is cutaneous mastocytosis. The study included 41 pediatric patients diagnosed with cutaneous mastocytosis according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Clinical data such as gender, age, age at diagnosis, age at disease onset, follow-up duration, type of mastocytosis, location of the lesions, and associated diseases were collected. Additionally, complete blood counts, liver and kidney function tests, and abdominal ultrasound results were evaluated. According to the results, in 68.3% of patients, the disease onset occurred before the age of two, and the median follow-up period was 1.5 years. The majority of cases presented with maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis (56.1%), and the lesions were predominantly located on the trunk (82.9%). Laboratory tests were normal, and none of the patients had a history of frequent infections. Borderline hepatosplenomegaly was detected in only one patient. Pediatric mastocytosis generally follows a benign course, and systemic forms are rare. However, broader studies indicate that systemic disease may develop in some cases. The absence of systemic mastocytosis findings in our study suggests that pediatric mastocytosis is largely confined to the skin. The limitations of this study include its retrospective design and small sample size, and future studies with larger populations are recommended to confirm the results.