Pyoderma gangrenosum as an early revelator of acute leukemia

Bullous pyoderma gangrenosum is an atypical, more superficial variety of th e classical pyoderma and is often associated with myeloproliferative disord ers. We present the case of a patient who presented initially with subcutan eous nodules and who developed bullous lesions afterwards. Histological eva luation showed the presence of neutrophilic infiltrates in both lesions. A few months after the diagnosis of bullous pyoderma gangrenosum, an underlyi ng leukemia was revealed. Our case illustrates the importance of regular bl ood and bone marrow examinations in patients with atypical bullous pyoderma gangrenosum, resulting in a rapid diagnosis of the underlying disease. Cop yright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.