Concurrence of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis

✍ Scribed by Stanley Cohen; Peter Stastny; Richard D. Sontheimer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 435 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780290318

✦ Synopsis

Overlap between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and !systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rare, but does occur. We have recently seen 3 patients with classic :subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) skin 'lesions (1,2) in association with active RA. In this report, we describe the clinical and serologic characteristics of these patients who share the clinical features of SCLE, SLE, and RA.

CASE REPORTS

Patient 1. Patient 1, a 65-year-old woman with a 36-year history of rheumatoid arthritis, resulting in severe joint damage to the hands, elbows, and knees, presented in June 1983, with a pruritic erythematous rash that started on the right side of her face and spread to involve the trunk, the arms, and to a lesser extent, the legs. The lesions typically started as small, red macules, which spread centrifugally to form annular lesions.

In August 1983, the patient developed a cutaneous ulceration on her right leg. This initially began as a small, red macule that rapidly enlarged to a 4 x 4-cm wide cutaneous ulceration. In addition to the dermatosis, the patient also developed diffuse alopecia