Sweet's syndrome - a rare dermatological manifestation of Ulcerative Colitis

What is it about?

In this clinical case, a patient with ulcerative colitis that develops a multifocal painful rash during a flair of her intestinal disease. After exclusion of other more common causes, the skin biopsy diagnosed Sweet Syndrome, a very rare extra intestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease, characterized by a neutrophilic infiltration of the dermis. The case is illustrated with photos of the skin lesions and biopsies.

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Photo by Online Marketing on Unsplash

Photo by Online Marketing on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This is a real-life example of a rare extra intestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease. Because of its rarity, the clinician will not easily recognize it for lack of experience. With this case, we show how it clinically manifests (with illustrative figures of both skin lesions and biopsies), what is the work-up that should be performed, and finally the recommended treatment. Hopefully, it will facilitate the management of other real-life cases of Sweet’s syndrome.