SWEETS-SYNDROME ASSOCIATED WITH MYELODYSPLASIA - POSSIBLE ROLE OF CYTOKINES IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF THE DISEASE

The clinical course of a 56-year-old female patient with Sweet's syndr ome (SS) preceded by a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is described. Du ring the acute phase of the disease with high remittent fever. painful skin lesions and maximal leucocytosis IL-6 and G-CSF serum levels wer e extremely high, while TNF-alpha was only slightly elevated and gamma -interferon and IL1-beta were not increased. On clinical improvement I L-6 serum levels rapidly fell, whereas G-CSF values already slightly e levated before the manifestation of the disease slowly declined. High G-CSF levels triggered by a yet unknown factor could explain the leuco cytosis, neutrophilic dermatosis and skin lesions in SS, while IL-6 pr obably induced the associated clinical symptoms of fever and pain.