Eosinophilic cellulitis | |
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Other names | Wells' syndrome, recurrent granulomatous dermatitis with eosinophilia [1] |
Initial rash in eosinophilic cellulitis | |
Specialty | Dermatology |
Symptoms | Painful, red, raised, warm patches of skin, fever, joint pain [2] |
Usual onset | Sudden and recurrent [2] |
Duration | Few weeks [2] |
Causes | Unknown [2] |
Differential diagnosis | Vasculitis, cellulitis, anaphylaxis [2] [1] |
Medication | Corticosteroids, antihistamines [2] [1] |
Prognosis | Often goes away by itself [2] |
Frequency | ~200 documented cases [1] |
Eosinophilic cellulitis, also known as Wells' syndrome (not to be confused with Weil's disease), is a skin disease that presents with painful, red, raised, and warm patches of skin. [2] The rash comes on suddenly, lasts for a few weeks, and often repeatedly comes back. [2] Scar formation does not typically occur. [1]
Eosinophilic cellulitis is of unknown cause. [2] It is suspected to be an autoimmune disorder. [2] It may be triggered by bites from insects and arachnids such as spiders, fleas, or ticks, or from medications or surgery. [2] Diagnosis is made after other potential cases are ruled out. [1] Skin biopsy of the affected areas may show an increased number of eosinophils. [2] Other conditions that may appear similar include cellulitis, contact dermatitis, and severe allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis. [2]
Treatment is often with a corticosteroids. [2] Steroids applied as a cream is generally recommended over the use of steroids by mouth. [3] Antihistamines may be used to help with itchiness. [1] Many times the condition goes away after a few weeks without treatment. [2] The condition is uncommon. [1] It affects both sexes with the same frequency. [2] It was first described by George Crichton Wells in 1971. [1] [4]
Eosinophilic cellulitis is of unknown cause. [2] It is suspected to be an autoimmune disorder. [2] It may be triggered by bites from insects such as mosquitos, [5] spiders, fleas, or ticks, or from medications or surgery. [2]
Diagnosis requires ruling out other potential causes. [1] This includes ruling out vasculitis on skin biopsy. [1]
Treatment is often with a steroids. [2] This can be either applied as a cream or taken by mouth. [3] As the condition tends to get better on its own taking steroids by mouth should generally only be tried if the rash covers a large area and it does not get better with other measures. [3]
Folliculitis is the infection and inflammation of one or more hair follicles. The condition may occur anywhere on hair-covered skin. The rash may appear as pimples that come to white tips on the face, chest, back, arms, legs, buttocks, or head.
A rash is a change of the skin that affects its color, appearance, or texture.
Cellulitis is usually a bacterial infection involving the inner layers of the skin. It specifically affects the dermis and subcutaneous fat. Signs and symptoms include an area of redness which increases in size over a few days. The borders of the area of redness are generally not sharp and the skin may be swollen. While the redness often turns white when pressure is applied, this is not always the case. The area of infection is usually painful. Lymphatic vessels may occasionally be involved, and the person may have a fever and feel tired.
Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease that affects the skin, nails, hair, and mucous membranes. It is not an actual lichen, but is named for its appearance. It is characterized by polygonal, flat-topped, violaceous papules and plaques with overlying, reticulated, fine white scale, commonly affecting dorsal hands, flexural wrists and forearms, trunk, anterior lower legs and oral mucosa. The hue may be gray-brown in people with darker skin. Although there is a broad clinical range of LP manifestations, the skin and oral cavity remain as the major sites of involvement. The cause is unknown, but it is thought to be the result of an autoimmune process with an unknown initial trigger. There is no cure, but many different medications and procedures have been used in efforts to control the symptoms.
Dermatomyositis (DM) is a long-term inflammatory disorder which affects the skin and the muscles. Its symptoms are generally a skin rash and worsening muscle weakness over time. These may occur suddenly or develop over months. Other symptoms may include weight loss, fever, lung inflammation, or light sensitivity. Complications may include calcium deposits in muscles or skin.
Pemphigus is a rare group of blistering autoimmune diseases that affect the skin and mucous membranes. The name is derived from the Greek root pemphix, meaning "blister".
Skin disorders are among the most common health problems in dogs, and have many causes. The condition of a dog's skin and coat is also an important indicator of its general health. Skin disorders of dogs vary from acute, self-limiting problems to chronic or long-lasting problems requiring life-time treatment. Skin disorders may be primary or secondary in nature, making diagnosis complicated.
Polymorphous light eruption (PLE) presents with itchy red small bumps on sun-exposed skin, particularly face, neck, forearms and legs. It generally appears 30 minutes to a few hours after sun exposure and may last between one and 14 days. The bumps may become small blisters or plaques and may appear bloody,often healing with minimal scarring.
Eosinophilic fasciitis, also known as Shulman's syndrome, is an inflammatory disease that affects the fascia, other connective tissues, surrounding muscles, blood vessels and nerves. Unlike other forms of fasciitis, eosinophilic fasciitis is typically self-limited and confined to the arms and legs, although it can require treatment with corticosteroids, and some cases are associated with aplastic anemia.
Myositis is a rare disease that involves inflammation of the muscles. It can present with a variety of symptoms such as skin involvement, muscle weakness, and other organ involvement. Systemic symptoms such as weight loss, fatigue, and low fever can also present.
Perioral dermatitis, also known as periorificial dermatitis, is a common type of skin rash. Symptoms include multiple small (1–2 mm) bumps and blisters sometimes with background redness and scale, localized to the skin around the mouth and nostrils. Less commonly the eyes and genitalia may be involved. It can be persistent or recurring and resembles particularly rosacea and to some extent acne and allergic dermatitis. The term "dermatitis" is a misnomer because this is not an eczematous process.
Eosinophilic folliculitis is an itchy rash with an unknown cause that is most common among individuals with HIV, though it can occur in HIV-negative individuals where it is known by the eponym Ofuji disease. EF consists of itchy red bumps (papules) centered on hair follicles and typically found on the upper body, sparing the abdomen and legs. The name eosinophilic folliculitis refers to the predominant immune cells associated with the disease (eosinophils) and the involvement of the hair follicles.
Discoid lupus erythematosus is the most common type of chronic cutaneous lupus (CCLE), an autoimmune skin condition on the lupus erythematosus spectrum of illnesses. It presents with red, painful, inflamed and coin-shaped patches of skin with a scaly and crusty appearance, most often on the scalp, cheeks, and ears. Hair loss may occur if the lesions are on the scalp. The lesions can then develop severe scarring, and the centre areas may appear lighter in color with a rim darker than the normal skin. These lesions can last for years without treatment.
Skeeter syndrome is a localized severe allergic reaction to mosquito bites, consisting of inflammation, peeling skin, blistering, ulceration and sometimes fever. It is caused by allergenic polypeptides in mosquito saliva, and therefore is not contagious. It is one of several forms, being one of the most severe, of allergic responses to mosquito bites, termed mosquito bite allergies.
Oral and maxillofacial pathology refers to the diseases of the mouth, jaws and related structures such as salivary glands, temporomandibular joints, facial muscles and perioral skin. The mouth is an important organ with many different functions. It is also prone to a variety of medical and dental disorders.
Blueberry muffin baby, also known as extramedullary hematopoiesis, describes a newborn baby with multiple purpura, associated with several non-cancerous and cancerous conditions in which extra blood is produced in the skin. The bumps range from one to seven mm, do not blanch and have a tendency to occur on the head, neck and trunk. They often fade by three to six weeks after birth, leaving brownish marks. When due to a cancer, the bumps tend to be fewer, firmer and larger.
Eosinophilic ulcer of the oral mucosa is a condition characterized by an ulcer with an indurated and elevated border. The lesion might be tender, fast-growing and the patient often not be aware of any trauma in the area.
Mosquito bite allergies, also termed hypersensitivity to mosquito bites, are excessive reactions of varying severity to mosquito bites. They are allergic hypersensitivity reactions caused by the non-toxic allergenic proteins contained in the saliva injected by a female mosquito at the time it takes its blood meal, and are not caused by any toxin or pathogen. By general agreement, mosquito bite allergies do not include the ordinary wheal and flare responses to these bites although these reactions are also allergic in nature. Ordinary mosquito bite allergies are nonetheless detailed here because they are the best understood reactions to mosquito bites and provide a basis for describing what is understood about them.