Lawrence Gibson

Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? What you should be alert for in the history Specific cutaneous lesions in Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) occur in about 15% of patients at some time in the disease course. Most often skin lesions develop concurrently with systemic symptoms or after systemic symptoms but may be the first manifestation of…

Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? What you should be alert for in the history Patients present primarily with urticarial or hive-like lesions. As opposed to simple urticaria, these lesions tend to be more persistent (greater than 24 hours in duration each) and may leave a small purpuric residual (Figure 1). Although itch may be…

Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? What you should be alert for in the history Most often patients will display a cutaneous livedo vascular pattern with or without underlying systemic symptoms other than mild joint or muscle discomfort in cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (CPAN). Systemic polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) patients may have fever, malaise, and signs or…

Are You Confident of the Diagnosis? What to be alert for in the history Vasculitis in the skin may follow a variety of illnesses such as infection, result from a drug sensitivity, represent a manifestation of a systemic illness or connective tissue disease, develop in malignancy or from other causes. Nonspecific or non-localizing antecedent illnesses…