Associated pyoderma gangrenosum, erythema elevatum diutinum, and Sweet's syndrome: the concept of neutrophilic disease

Abstract

Background: The association of three neutrophilic dermatoses supports the concept of "neutrophilic disease" as a syndrome representing a continuous spectrum of clinical entities.

Results: This report describes three neutrophilic pathologies arising in the same patient, in association with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. The successive occurrence of erythema elevatum diutinum, pyoderma gangrenosum, and Sweet's syndrome illustrates the concept of "neutrophilic disease" developed by Wallach et al. in the 1990s. Most authors agree that neutrophilic dermatosis is defined as a cutaneous disease mainly characterized by polymorphonuclear neutrophil infiltration without infectious cause.The assessment of neutrophilic dermatosis includes identification of the type of cutaneous lesion, the existence of possible extracutaneous sites, and a search for associated disease.

Conclusions: The occurrence of three separate neutrophilic dermatoses in a single patient lends further support to the concept that these entities form a spectrum of diseases called neutrophilic disease.