Sweet’s syndrome

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admin | Aug 22, 2010 | 0 comments
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Sweet syndrome is also called as acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis is a skin disease characterized by the abrupt onset of tender, red-to-purple papules and nodules that coalesce to form plaques that appear mainly on the arm, and face. This syndrome is described in 1964 by Robert sweet. The exact cause or sweet’s syndrome is unknown but it is triggered by an infection, certain medications, and illness and can also occur with some types of cancer.

What is the Pathophysiolgy of sweet’s syndrome?

Sweet syndrome is a hypersensitivity reaction that occurs in the responses to systemic factors such as infection, inflammation, vaccination, drugs and hematological diseases. Sweet syndrome is neutrophil medicated, due to increase level of granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF). G-CSF suppresses apoptosis and prolongs the survival of neutrophils in vivo in a CD34+ cell population

What causes the sweet’s syndrome?

Idiopathic
Malignancy-associated: Sweets syndrome most often associated with acute leukemia and few cases may associate with breast or colon cancer.
Drug-induced: Sweets syndrome is associate with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, diuretics and anti-epileptic drugs.

What are the risk factors for Sweet’s syndrome?

age between 30 and 50 year age
women
pregnancy
systemic diseases
History of sweets syndrome

What are the signs and symptom of sweet’s syndrome?

Acute, tender, erythematosus plaques occurs on the head, legs, necks and hands.
Eruptions are tender and painful and may develop blister or ever ulcers.
Lesions may persist for a few weeks to months and than disappears without any medication.
Fever preceding the skin lesions
Conjunctivitis
Arthritis
Headache
Fatigue
Mouth ulcers

What is the Differential Diagnosis of sweet’s syndrome?

Cellulites/erysipelas
Disseminated erythema nodosum
Erythema multiforme
Leukocytoclastic vasculitis
Pyoderma gangrenosum
Bowel bypass-related dermatosis

How to diagnose sweet’s syndrome?

Diagnosis mainly relies on simply looking at the lesion, patients history and histopathology examination.

How to manage sweet’s syndrome?

Sweets syndrome is managed with giving corticosteroids, in doses of 1mg/kg/day. Anti-inflammatory drugs, potassium iodide, colchicines, oxycycline, metronidazole, isotretinoin, adalimumab, cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, infliximab, Methotrexate, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), pulse doses of methylprednisolone, and interferon alfa, are also reportedly successful.

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