Dystrophic calcinosis cutis is known to be associated with various connecti
ve tissue disorders but to the best of our knowledge has never been reporte
d in subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE), a distinctive cutaneous
subset in the spectrum of lupus erythematosus. It occurs without calcium a
nd phosphorus metabolic abnormalities and may be localized or generalized.
We report a patient with SCLE who developed calcinosis cutis and had normal
serum calcium and phosphorus levels and, interestingly, a normal concentra
tion of blood ionized calcium. This latter, which represents the active for
m in the total amount of blood calcium, is a parameter only rarely assessed
in patients with dystrophic calcinosis cutis. Thus, other pathogenic facto
rs should be investigated to clarify the pathophysiology of the dystrophic
type of calcification.