Psoriatic plaque erosion is a rare toxic side effect of low-dose methotrexate (LDMTX) that has been reported during the treatment of psoriasis and described as a herald for impending pancytopenia. Fatalities from this have rarely been reported. Even rarer is methotrexate (MTX)-induced erosions of clinically normal skin in patients without a history of psoriasis. We report 3 rare presentations of MTX-induced cutaneous erosions, 2 fatalities occurring with MTX-induced psoriatic plaque erosions, and the sixth reported case of MTX-induced erosions with no prior history of psoriasis. Each were elderly patients on proton pump inhibitors with a history of chronic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use. They all presented with acute onset of erosions after a recent change in their MTX dose. Pancytopenia followed in each case. Physicians' awareness of the sequelae in MTX-induced cutaneous erosions is imperative so MTX can be discontinued and treatment instituted to prevent fatal bone marrow suppression.
Palisaded neutrophilic and granulomatous dermatitis and interstitial granulomatous dermatitis are uncommon granulomatous dermatoses that often arise in association with rheumatoid arthritis. These 2 entities have overlapping features and may exist on a spectrum. We report an intriguing case of a 53-year-old man with advanced rheumatoid arthritis who presented with a large indurated painful truncal plaque with a palpable cord in addition to a papulonodular eruption on his dorsal hands. Furthermore, our patient had a recurrence in a near-identical mirror-image pattern on the contralateral trunk. The constellation of clinical and histopathological findings in our patient further suggests that palisaded neutrophilic and granulomatous dermatitis and interstitial granulomatous dermatitis exist as overlapping disease entities on a continuum. In addition, we propose that recurrence of skin findings may be indicative of the severity of the underlying systemic disease process.
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