ACUTE NEUTROPHILIC MYOSITIS IN SWEETS-SYNDROME - LATE-PHASE TRANSFORMATION INTO FIBROSING MYOSITIS AND PANNICULITIS

Early in the course of myeloblastic leukemia a patient concurrently de veloped febrile neutrophilic dermatosis and sterile acute myositis. Th e dermatitis and myositis were unresponsive to antibiotic therapy but remitted within a few days of institution of steroid treatment. The pa tient died of myocardial infarction. At autopsy the dermis was normal. Previously effected muscles were scarred. The overlying fascia and su bcutaneous septa were fibrotically thickened. In addition, segmental a cute aortitis was detected. Acute myositis and aortitis may reflect fu rther organ manifestations of the Sweet's reactivity pattern. It is pr oposed that Sweet's myositis and dermatitis may evolve into a fibrosin g myositis and panniculitis. Copyright (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Compa ny