Intravenous Immunoglobulin in the Management of Lupus Erythematosus Panniculitis

Abstract

Lupus erythematosus panniculitis (LEP) is a rare variant of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). It is characterized by the presence of a chronic inflammatory process involving the deep dermis and subcutaneous tissues. It commonly presents as deep indurated nodules or sharply demarcated plaques. Antimalarial medications are considered first-line therapy for most cases of LEP while systemic corticosteroids are saved for more resistant lesions. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is made up of concentrated polyclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) fractionated from the blood of healthy blood donors. Nowadays, it is used for the treatment of numerous autoimmune and systemic inflammatory diseases. In this case, we report the case of a female with multiple LEP and discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) lesions refractory to multiple standard therapy modalities that responded dramatically to IVIG.

Granulomatous Mastitis in a Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patient: Case Report

“…This is a predominantly lobular panniculitis with a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of lobules and hyaline fat necrosis that usually occurs in patients with a previous diagnosis of systemic or discoid lupus but that can also be the initial presentation of the disease [8]. Histological examination and the presence of overlying discoid skin lesions are some aspects used for differentiation between lupus panniculitis and GM [9,10]. A second interesting observation is that GM has been frequently described in patients with high levels of prolactin.…”