| Erythema nodosum
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Etiology
•Unknown
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Pathogenesis
•Believed to be a hypersensitvity reaction to varied
insults.
•The precise cause of erythema nodosum is unknown,
but it can often occur as a sequel to bacterial
infections, in response to some drugs and accompanying
some fungal infections.,
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Epidemiology
•Common disorder
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General Gross Description
•Erythema nodosum is one form of acute inflammation of
the soft tissue of the skin (panniculitis).
•The lesion is often not clearly visible, but can
palpated as an area of induration in the subcutaneous
tissues.
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General Microscopic Description
•Histologically, there are two patterns.
•If the inflammation primarily involves the septa
separating the subcutaneous adipose tissue into lobules,
there is some thickening of these septa with the
presence of inflammatory cells.
•If the inflammation attacks primarily the nodules of
fat, areas of fat necrosis with accumulation of
inflammatory cells and macrophages is seen.
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Clinical Correlation
•It characterisically presents as an exquisitely
tender, erythematous lesion.
•Erythema nodosum is usually self-limiting and no
specific treatment is available.
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References
• Cotran RS, Kumar V, Robbins SL: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. 5th edition. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1994, pp. 1196.
• Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 13th Edition: Isselbach et. al. (eds). New York, McGraw-Hill, 1994, pp. 383.
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| Erythema nodosum
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| Synopsis by: T.V.Rajan, M.D., Ph.D. (T01000M45620)[520]
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