Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis-like Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus: A Series of Three Patients

• Published in: Acta dermato-venereologica Vol. 90; no. 2; pp. 175 - 178
• Main Authors: CISNEROS, Claudia G. C, ROMITI, Ricardo, SANTI, Cláudia G, AOKI, Valéria, VALENTE, Neusa Y. S, NICO, Marcello M. S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Uppsala Acta dermato-venereologica 01.01.2010
• Subjects: Adolescent; Azathioprine - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Bullous diseases of the skin; Chloroquine - analogs & derivatives; Chloroquine - therapeutic use; Dermatology; Diagnosis, Differential; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents - therapeutic use; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous - drug therapy; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous - pathology; Medical sciences; Prednisolone - therapeutic use; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Severity of Illness Index; Skin - drug effects; Skin - pathology; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome - drug therapy; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome - pathology; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult; Bullous dermatosis; Human; Immunopathology; Connective tissue disease; Skin disease; Erythroderma; Dermatology; Cutaneous lupus erythematosus; Autoimmune disease; drug-induced skin reactions; toxic epidermal necrolysis; Systemic disease; Skin; Apoptosis; Lyell syndrome
• ISSN: 0001-5555; 1651-2057
• DOI: 10.2340/00015555-0785

Toxic epidermal necrolysis-like lesions have been described in the setting of lupus erythematosus, and have been considered as a specific hyperacute variant of cutaneous lupus erythematosus, with features different from classical drug-related toxic epidermal necrolysis. We report here a series of three patients with lupus erythematosus who presented with severe worsening of their cutaneous disease in a toxic epidermal necrolysis-like fashion. We compared these cases with cases reported previously. Based on this discussion, we speculate that some of these patients may have classical drug-related toxic epidermal necrolysis rather than lupus erythematosus-related toxic epidermal necrolysis.