Background/Purpose:
Cutaneous leukocytoclastic angiitis (CLA) was defined by the International Consensus Conference for the Nomenclature of the Vasculitis (Chapel Hill, A&R 1994) as an isolated cutaneous vasculitis without systemic vasculitis or glomerulonephritis. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical features, treatment and outcome of patients with CLA.
Methods:
From a large series of patients with cutaneous vasculitis those diagnosed as having cutaneous vasculitis in the setting of connective tissue diseases, malignancies, infections, primary systemic necrotizing vasculitis and other entities such as Henoch-Schönlein Purpura and Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia were excluded from this analysis. Patients with systemic involvement including gastro-intestinal or renal involvement (glomerulonephritis) were also excluded. The remaining patients were classified as having CLA.
Results:
According to the above mentioned methodology, 173 patients (91 men and 82 women), with a mean age of 46.29± 24.37 years (range, 1 to 95 years) were diagnosed as having CLA.
Precipitating events were found in 146 (84.39%) patients. A history of drug intake before the onset of the vasculitis was found in 82 (47.40%) patients and a previous history of upper respiratory tract infection in 48 (27.74%) patients. The most frequent drugs taken shortly before the onset of the cutaneous vasculitis were Beta-lactam antibiotics (38 cases), NSAIDS (20 cases) and diuretics (8 cases). The most frequent clinical manifestations were cutaneous (100%), joint manifestations (41.51%) and fever (17.92%). The main laboratory data were elevated ESR (46.82%), leukocytosis (28.90%), anemia (10.98%), positive Rheumatoid Factor (13.87%), positive ANA (16.18%), hypocomplementemia (C3 and/or C4) (2.89%), cryoglobulins (2.31%) and positive ANCA (0.58%).
Treatment included NSAIDS (17.34%), Corticosteroids (16.18%), Colchicine (2.89%) and Azathioprine (1.73%). After a mean follow-up of 12.42± 30.31 months (median, 3 months), relapses were observed in 19.65% of patients.
Conclusion:
CLA is usually a benign syndrome, often secondary to drugs or infections, or both. Its main clinical features are skin and joint manifestations. Its prognosis is very good.
Disclosure:
J. Loricera,
None;
V. Calvo-Rio,
None;
F. Ortiz-Sanjuan,
None;
M. A. Gonzalez-Lopez,
None;
H. Fernandez-Llaca,
None;
J. Rueda-Gotor,
None;
C. Gonzalez-Vela,
None;
M. A. Gonzalez-Gay,
None;
R. Blanco,
None.
« Back to 2012 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting
ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/cutaneous-leukocytoclastic-angiitis-study-of-173-patients/