Clinical Study of 13 Cases with Subcutaneous Sweet's Syndrome

Kang, Seong Min; Won, Chong Hyun; Chang, Sungeun; Lee, Mi Woo; Choi, Jee Ho; Moon, Kee Chan

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Sweet's syndrome is a neutrophilic dermatosis that has various clinical characteristics. Since its original description in 1964, many reports have expanded the clinical and pathological features of this condition. New histopathological variants, such as subcutaneous Sweet's syndrome, have also attracted particular attention.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to obtain a better understanding of the clinical features of subcutaneous Sweet's syndrome in Korea.
METHODS
This was a retrospective study of subcutaneous Sweet's syndrome observed at our center over an 11-year period. Clinical manifestations and histopathological features of 13 patients with subcutaneous Sweet's syndrome were evaluated.
RESULTS
Age varied from 24 to 64 years, averaging 42.3 years. The male to female ratio was 1 : 5.5. The site of predilection was the extremities, and the most commonly involved site was the lower extremities. Multiple erythematous subcutaneous nodules with tenderness were the most common manifestation. General symptoms, such as fever, arthralgia, and myalgia, were associated with subcutaneous Sweet's syndrome in varying frequencies. In laboratory examinations, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocytosis, and neutrophilia occurred in some patients. An associated systemic disease was found in 69.2% of the patients, and acute myeloid leukemia was the most common. The majority of patients were treated with oral or topical steroids, and recurrence was observed in 25% of the patients.
CONCLUSION
We demonstrated that most clinical features of subcutaneous Sweet's syndrome, including an association with hematological malignancy, were similarly encountered in classic Sweet's syndrome. But, some features such as preferred sites and skin manifestations were similar to other panniculitis diseases.