Mastocytosis. General concepts, view on patient management, examples of clinical course of the disease

Background. Mastocytosis is a disease characterized by the presence of mast cells in various organs. The skin is affected most often. Almost every patient diagnosed with mastocytosis has skin lesions. This disease is characterized by redness, itching, abdominal pain, diarrhea, musculoskeletal pain, hypotension. These features result from the release of the mast cell mediator and its infiltration into the target organs. Materials and methods. This article describes the symptoms and signs of each and systemic mastocytosis, the principles of their diagnosis, based on recently published іnternational recommendations. Results. According to the 2016 World Health Organization classification, mastocytosis can be divided into cutaneous mastocytosis, systemic mastocytosis and mast cell sarcoma. Cutaneous mastocytosis is divided into three subtypes: maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis, diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis and cutaneous mastocytoma. Permanent telangiectasia of the macular eruptive form is no longer considered a separate unit. Systemic mastocytosis, in turn, is also divided into indolent, smoldering, aggressive and associated with hematological tumors. Conclusions. Cutaneous manifestations of mastocytosis may vary with age. The classification of cutaneous mastocytosis has recently been updated. As a rule, in patients with mastocytosis in childhood the disease occurs as cutaneous mastocytosis and spontaneously regresses during puberty. On the contrary, in adult patients, despite skin lesions, systemic lesions are often observed, and the course of the disease is usually chronic. That is, patients of any age can be affected. The article describes the causes and pathogenesis of mastocytosis with an overview of clinical features, approach to diagnosis and therapy depending on age and severity of the disease. Clinical cases for visual acquaintance with a clinical picture of various forms of mastocytosis are resulted.