Focal epithelial hyperplasia (Heck’s disease) - Case report of a rare disease in an adult Caucasian man

Abstract

Focal epithelial hyperplasia (or Heck’s disease) is an infection of the oral mucosa caused by human papillomavirus. The condition is extremely rare, with the highest incidence in tribal communities from remote Greenland, and North and South America. Only few cases have been noted in adult Caucasian patients. This paper reports on a case of focal epithelial hyperplasia in a 56-year-old man admitted to the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University for investigation of multiple mucosal lesions in the oral cavity. The lesions were excised under local anesthesia without any complications. According to the findings of a histopathological examination, the lesions were classed as focal epithelial hyperplasia. The diagnosis was supported by the detection of human papillomavirus subtype 32. Physicians, dentists and other oral medicine specialists should be aware of this kind of lesions and a careful clinical observation combined with histopathological testing should be carried out to establish a definitive diagnosis.