Neutrophilic fixed drug eruption

Neutrophils in Fixed Drug Eruptions: Correction of a Mistaken Hypothesis

ABSTRACT

Classical histopathological findings of fixed drug eruption (FDE) include a lichenoid/interface dermatitis and perivascular infiltrate in the upper and deep dermis composed of lymphocytes and eosinophils accompanied by pigment incontinence. The presence of neutrophils is also an established finding but is less investigated. Sporadic cases of "neutrophilic FDE" have been reported and suggested as a separate entity, a rare variant, or an early stage of the condition. In this article, we report 16 cases of FDE with quantitative analysis showing that neutrophils are relatively common in FDE (68.8%) and that cases with abundant neutrophils had a significantly shorter onset-to-biopsy interval (3.7 vs. 16.9 days, P < 0.023). Our findings support that neutrophilic FDE more likely represents the early phase of FDE rather than a different entity. The presence of neutrophils expands the histopathological differential diagnosis of FDE to include neutrophilic dermatosis, signifying the value of clinical correlation.

Recurrent and Fixed Neutrophilic Dermatosis Associated With Dasatinib

BACKGROUND

Dasatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Skin rashes are common, occurring in about a quarter of patients treated, and are generally mild. The commonest rash is a keratosis pilaris-like eruption. A neutrophilic dermatosis has rarely been reported.

OBJECTIVE

We report a patient whose CML was successfully treated with dasatinib and who several years later developed episodes of a neutrophilic dermatosis recurring at the same sites.

CONCLUSION

This report extends the clinical spectrum of neutrophilic dermatoses to include dasatinib-induced recurrent and fixed erythematous plaques.

Neutrophilic Fixed Drug Eruption

Fixed drug eruption (FDE) is a cutaneous reaction to a medication that recurs in the same fairly localized site with each exposure to the offending drug. The classical histopathologic findings in FDE consist of an interface dermatitis with predominantly lymphocytic inflammatory cell infiltrate. An unusual case of FDE in a 27-year-old pregnant woman who presented with widespread lesions and a predominantly neutrophilic infiltrate on histopathologic examination is reported.

Drug-induced skin reactions: a pathologist viewpoint

Cutaneous drug reactions are common adverse effects that occur in about 2-3% of the hospitalized patients. They have both immunologic and non-immunologic underlying mechanisms. These reactions are clinically and histologically similar to dermatoses. Their significant clinical indicators include: history of drug intake, atypical clinical features and improvement after cessation of the offending drugs. Their diagnostic histological clues include the presence of mixed histological patterns, apoptotic keratinocytes, eosinophils (dermis and epidermis), papillary dermal edema and extravasations of erythrocytes. However, no single clinical or histological feature is specific of drug eruptions. This work attempts to classify the histomorphologic reactions to various drugs in defined categories for assistance in morphologic diagnosis.

Fixed drug eruption: pathogenesis and diagnostic tests

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Fixed drug eruption is a simplified disease model for elucidating the mechanism(s) of how skin inflammation is induced by skin-resident T cells. In this review, we focus on how the presence of intraepidermal CD8+T cells resident in the fixed drug eruption lesions can provide exciting new clues to our understanding of pathomechanisms of inflammatory skin diseases.

RECENT FINDINGS

Intraepidermal CD8+T cells with an effector-memory phenotype resident in fixed drug eruption lesions have a major contributing role in the development of localized tissue damage. Activation of these CD8+T cells is sufficient for triggering the lesion, however, but not sufficient to cause extensive tissue damage observed in the fully evolved lesions; additional recruitment of CD4+ and CD8+T cells to a specific tissue site would also contribute to the late stage of lesion development. The influx of regulatory T cells into the epidermis observed in fully evolved lesions would serve to limit harmful immune reactions. Consistent with this, positive patch test reactions are only observed at the site of previous lesions harboring significant numbers of intraepidermal CD8+T cells.

SUMMARY

Intraepidermal CD8+T cells may represent double-edged swords of the skin immune system with protective and destructive capacity.

Neutrophilic dermatoses in children

The neutrophilic dermatoses are rare disorders, especially in children, and are characterized by neutrophilic infiltrates in the skin and less commonly in extracutaneous tissue. The neutrophilic dermatoses share similar clinical appearances and associated conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, malignancies, and medications. Overlap forms of disease demonstrating features of multiple neutrophilic dermatoses may be seen. The manuscript attempts to provide an up-to-date review of (i) classical neutrophilic dermatoses, focusing on distinctive features in children and (ii) neutrophilic dermatoses which may largely be pediatric or genodermatosis-associated (Majeed, SAPHO [synovitis, severe acne, sterile palmoplantar pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis] syndrome, PAPA (pyogenic sterile arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne), PFAPA (periodic fever with aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenopathy), and other periodic fever syndromes, and congenital erosive and vesicular dermatosis healing with reticulated supple scarring).

Progress in the understanding of the pathology and pathogenesis of cutaneous drug eruptions : implications for management

Cutaneous drug eruptions are among the most common adverse reactions to drug therapy. The etiology may reflect immunologic or nonimmunologic mechanisms, the former encompassing all of the classic Gell and Combs immune mechanisms. Cumulative and synergistic effects of drugs include those interactions of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors reflecting the alteration by one drug of the effective serum concentration of another and the functions of drugs and their metabolites that interact to evoke cutaneous and systemic adverse reactions. Recent observations include the role of concurrent infection with lymphotropic viruses and drug effects that, through the enhancement of lymphoid blast transformation and/or lymphocyte survival and the contribution of intercurrent systemic connective tissue disease syndromes, promote enhanced lymphocyte longevity and the acquisition of progressively broadening autoantibody specificities. The latter are particularly opposite to drug-induced lupus erythematosus and to drug reactions in the setting of HIV infection. Specific common types of cutaneous drug eruptions will be discussed in this review. Successful management of cutaneous drug eruptions relies upon the prompt discontinuation of the causative medication; most drug eruptions have a good prognosis after this is accomplished. Oral or topical corticosteroids can be administered to aid in the resolution of some types of eruptions. Antihistamines or anti-inflammatory agents may also be administered for some eruptions.