Unique Histopathologic Findings in a Patient With Adult-Onset Still Disease

Persistent Pruritic Linear Streaks of Adult-Onset Still's Disease: Reconsidering the Yamaguchi Criteria

Objective Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare orphan disease, the diagnosis of which remains challenging. This study aimed to identify additional clues for establishing early diagnosis beyond the existing criteria. Methods A retrospective longitudinal cohort study was conducted at two community hospitals in Japan between March 2012 and December 2022. The clinical characteristics and medical histories of patients with AOSD were extracted from the clinical records. The primary outcome was to identify the key manifestations of AOSD for an early diagnosis beyond the existing criteria. Results Twenty-one patients (mean age, 58 years) were included in the study. Fever was the first symptom in 13 out of 21 patients (62%). Six out of 21 patients (29%) presented with a pruritic rash only, while two out of 21 (10%) initially presented with a sore throat. All patients visited more than one medical institution. The median time to reach a correct diagnosis was 41 days (IQR 19-138). Nineteen out of 20 patients (95%) exhibited a pruritic rash, identified as persistent pruritic linear streaks, with a median duration of 21 days (IQR 12-64) before the diagnosis of AOSD as a cutaneous manifestation. Conclusions Persistent pruritic linear streaks were a key feature in the context of an early diagnosis of AOSD, offering an option for reconsidering and revising the existing classification criteria.

A Case of Multiple Necrotic Dyskeratotic Cells within the Upper Epidermis and Horny Layer Revealing Persistent Papules and Plaques of Adult-Onset Still's Disease

It is important to differentiate violaceous to dusky red papules and plaques that widely persist on the trunk and extremities because there are dermatoses that could be fatal, such as lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, drug eruptions, and graft-versus-host disease. Dyskeratotic cells only in the upper epidermis and horny layer are not well known, but it is a distinctive histopathological pattern of atypical type of rash of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD). AOSD rash is a transient salmon-colored rash that occurs and disappears with fever; however, an atypical type of rash called "persistent dermal plaque" or "persistent pruritic eruptions" has also been reported. It occurs and persists even after fever subsides. Herein, we describe a case with necrotic dyskeratotic cells in the upper epidermis and horny layer without AOSD symptoms lasting for five years.

Persistent, Pruritic, Reddish-Brown Papules and Plaques: An Atypical Presentation of Adult-Onset Still’s Disease

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory condition characterized by recurrent fevers and a dermatologic eruption. The eruption is classically described as migratory and evanescent, composed of salmon-pink to erythematous macules, patches, and papules. However, a much rarer skin rash can also be seen in the setting of AOSD. This eruption has a different morphology, appearing as fixed, extremely pruritic papules and plaques. The histology of this atypical form of AOSD is distinct from that of the more common evanescent eruption. Management of AOSD is multi-faceted, aimed at controlling both the acute and chronic phases. Increased awareness of this more uncommon cutaneous presentation of AOSD is vital so that the appropriate diagnosis can be rendered. Herein, the authors describe an atypical presentation of AOSD in a 44-year-old male patient who presented with persistent, pruritic, brownish papules and plaques on the trunk and extremities.

Persistent papules and plaques in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis

A 6-year-old girl presented with nightly fever, persistent joint pain of the knees, ankles, lower back, and hip. Her skin lesions were evanescent salmon-colored patches along with persistent pruritic light to dark pink papules and plaques on her face, post-auricular scalp, trunk, thigh, and bilateral upper extremities. Skin biopsy supported the diagnosis of fixed papules and plaques of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA). We report this case to highlight diagnostic features of this exceedingly rare cutaneous presentation of sJIA presenting with typical cutaneous salmon-colored evanescent eruptions.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease With Unusual Cutaneous Findings

ABSTRACT

We present a case of the rare Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) in a 14-year-old patient admitted to UCLA Medical Center with fever, weight loss, and pancytopenia. Physical examination revealed tender subcutaneous nodules and cervical lymphadenopathy. A lymph node biopsy showed findings consistent with KFD. The skin biopsy showed mild superficial dermal edema with neutrophil-predominant inflammation. In addition, rare atypical monocytoid cells were seen. This histologic finding of a Sweet-like morphology has not been reported previously in the literature in association with KFD. The differential diagnosis included Sweet syndrome arising in association with KFD, underlying connective tissue, and an infectious etiology.

Histological Features of Flagellate Erythema

Flagellate erythema is a distinctive eruption characterized by "whip-like" linear or curvilinear streaks and plaques, occurring mainly on the trunk. It has classically been described in 2 disparate clinical settings: chemotherapy with bleomycin and ingestion of mushrooms (most commonly Shiitake mushrooms). Most of the literature comprises single case reports, often with minimal histological description of rather nonspecific features. We describe in detail the histological features of 3 cases of flagellate erythema (2 related to bleomycin therapy and one related to ingestion of mushrooms) and review the findings described in the literature to define the spectrum of histological changes encountered in this eruption. Our 3 cases showed mild epidermal changes, with spongiosis and variable interface inflammation. All 3 showed a relatively prominent dermal lymphohistiocytic infiltrate, with features suggestive of a lymphocytic vasculopathy extending to at least the mid-reticular dermis. Eosinophils were a prominent component of the inflammatory infiltrate in 2 cases. Our review of the literature identified a total of 45 publications, representing reports of 46 patients, containing histological information. As well as bleomycin- and mushroom-related cases, similar eruptions have been reported in the context of connective tissue disease and other drugs. Although cases related to connective tissue disease show features of the underlying condition, cases secondary to drugs or mushrooms predominantly show features compatible with common patterns of exanthematous/morbilliform drug reaction. In particular, subtle spongiosis and/or interface dermatitis combined with a dermal lymphocytic infiltrate that includes increased numbers of eosinophils is a common finding. Features of a lymphocytic vasculopathy may be seen in a subset of these cases.

A comprehensive review on adult onset Still's disease

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology usually affecting young adults; spiking fever, arthritis and evanescent rash are commonly observed during the disease. Other frequently observed clinical features include sore throat, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy and serositis. Furthermore, AOSD patients may experience different life-threating complications. Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) has been reported up to 15% of AOSD patients and it is considered to be the most severe complication of the disease being characterised by high mortality rate. During AOSD, laboratory tests reflect the systemic inflammatory process showing high levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein. In addition, the ferritin levels are typically higher than those observed in other autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, or neoplastic diseases. Analysing AOSD disease course, 3 different clinical patterns of AOSD have been identified: i. monocyclic pattern, characterised by a systemic single episode; ii. polycyclic pattern, characterised by multiple, ≤ 1 year lasting, flares, alternating with remissions; iii. chronic pattern, related to a persistently active disease with associated polyarthritis. At present, AOSD therapeutic strategy is aimed at targeting pro-inflammatory signs and symptoms, preventing organ damage and life-threating complications and minimising adverse effects of treatment. However, the treatment of AOSD remains largely empirical, lacking controlled clinical trials. High dosages of corticosteroids are usually the first line therapy when the systemic symptoms predominate. Despite this treatment, a large percentage of patients experiences several flares with an evolution toward the chronic disease course and up to 16% of patients die during the follow up, due to AOSD-related complications. On these bases, in the last years, biological agents have been successfully used in refractory cases. Finally, multiple recent lines of evidence have suggested new insights in AOSD pathogenesis unmasking further therapeutic targets. In fact, small molecules, used in experimental MAS models, might represent new therapeutic options.

Clinical and histopathological features of cutaneous manifestations of adult-onset Still disease

Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a rare autoinflammatory syndrome characterized by recurring fevers, arthralgia, and consistent laboratory abnormalities that include leukocytosis and hyperferritinemia. Skin findings accompany the disease in nearly 90% of the cases. Early reports described evanescent, pruritic, salmon-pink or urticarial lesions, referred to as the typical eruption of AOSD. Histopathologic findings consist of superficial perivascular dermatitis with varying number of interstitial neutrophils. Later reports described a more persistent rash that tended to be photodistributed, hyperpigmented, often in a linear configuration, sometimes in a rippled pattern, referred to as the atypical eruption of AOSD. The presence of individual necrotic keratinocytes in the upper spinous layer has been the consistent histopathologic finding. The persistent rash may not represent an atypical presentation of AOSD as recent reports indicate a high prevalence of the rash. Emerging data also suggest that patients with persistent eruption have a worse prognosis. The recognition of the clinical and histopathological findings of skin eruptions of AOSD may facilitate an earlier diagnosis, potentially improving disease outcome. Herein, clinical and histopathological features of cutaneous manifestation of AOSD in 2 Asian women are highlighted accompanied by a relevant review of the disease.

Adult-onset Still's disease with atypical cutaneous manifestations

The diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) can be very difficult. There are no specific tests available, and diagnosis is usually based on a symptom complex and the well-described typical evanescent rash seen in the majority of patients. However, in recent years, other atypical cutaneous manifestations of AOSD have been reported. These atypical skin eruptions often present in addition to the typical evanescent rash but may also be the only skin manifestation, resulting in delayed diagnosis because of under-recognition.In this study, we present 3 new cases of AOSD with atypical cutaneous manifestations diagnosed during a 30-year period in our department and review 78 additional cases previously reported (PubMed 1990-2016). These 81 patients form the basis of the present analysis.The overall prevalence of atypical cutaneous manifestations in our AOSD population was 14%. These manifestations may appear at any time over the course of the disease, and usually occur in patients who have persistent and severe disease, with a considerable frequency of clinical complications (23%), including serositis, myopericarditis, lung involvement, abdominal pain, neurologic involvement, and reactive hemophagocytic syndrome.The most representative and frequent lesion among the nonclassical skin rashes is the development of persistent pruritic papules and/or plaques. Interestingly, these lesions show a distinctive histological pattern. Other, less frequently observed lesions include urticaria and urticaria-like eruptions, generalized or widespread non-pruritic persistent erythema, vesiculopustular eruptions, a widespread peau d'orange appearance of the skin, and edema of the eyelids mimicking dermatomyositis without any accompanying skin lesion.The great majority of these patients required medium or high doses of glucocorticoids (including intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy in some cases) and, in nearly 40%, a more potent or maintenance immunotherapy with immunosuppressant drugs and/or biologic agents (mainly anakinra or tocilizumab) to control or manage symptoms because of a polycyclic or chronic course. The development of atypical cutaneous manifestations seems to be associated with a potentially worse prognosis, with a mortality rate reaching 8% primarily because of infectious complications related to immunosuppressive therapy.In conclusion, the appearance of atypical cutaneous manifestations is not uncommon in AOSD. Recognition of this clinical variant is crucial for the early diagnosis of AOSD, as it might imply persistent disease activity and the need for more aggressive treatment.

H-ferritin and CD68(+) /H-ferritin(+) monocytes/macrophages are increased in the skin of adult-onset Still's disease patients and correlate with the multi-visceral involvement of the disease

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) patients may show an evanescent salmon-pink erythema appearing during febrile attacks and reducing without fever. Some patients may experience this eruption for many weeks. During AOSD, exceptionally high serum levels of ferritin may be observed; it is an iron storage protein composed of 24 subunits, heavy (H) subunits and light (L) subunits. The ferritin enriched in L subunits (L-ferritin) and the ferritin enriched in H subunits (H-ferritin) may be observed in different tissues. In this work, we aimed to investigate the skin expression of both H-and L-ferritin and the number of macrophages expressing these molecules from AOSD patients with persistent cutaneous lesions. We observed an increased expression of H-ferritin in the skin, associated with an infiltrate in the biopsies obtained from persistent cutaneous lesions of AOSD patients. Furthermore, a positive correlation between H-ferritin skin levels as well as the number of CD68(+) /H-ferritin(+) cells and the multi-visceral involvement of the disease was observed. Our data showed an increased expression of H-ferritin in the skin of AOSD patients, associated with a strong infiltrate of CD68(+) /H-ferritin(+) cells. Furthermore, a correlation between the levels of H-ferritin as well as of the number of CD68(+) /H-ferritin(+) cells and the multi-visceral involvement of the disease was observed.

Cutaneous manifestations of adult-onset Still's disease: a case report and review of literature

Adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology and pathogenesis characterized by high spiking fever, arthralgia or arthritis, sore throat, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, serositis, and transient cutaneous manifestations. Although more common in children, cases are seen also in adults. Cutaneous involvement is common and may be suggestive for the diagnosis. A case of AOSD in a 35-year-old man is reported here, presenting with urticarial maculopapular rash of trunk, high spiking fever, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and myopericarditis. Skin biopsy showed interstitial and perivascular mature CD15(+) neutrophils. A comprehensive review of literature showed that cutaneous involvement occurs in about 80 % of patients, with various clinical presentations. The most common skin manifestation is an evanescent salmon pink or erythematous maculopapular exanthema, predominantly on the trunk and proximal limbs, with rare involvement of face and distal limbs. Less common manifestations include persistent erythematous plaques and pustular lesions. A constant histopathologic finding is the presence of interstitial dermal neutrophils aligned between the collagen bundles. This pattern may provide an easy accessible clue for the definitive diagnosis of AOSD and exclude other diagnosis such as drug eruptions or infectious diseases.

Typical evanescent and atypical persistent polymorphic cutaneous rash in an adult Brazilian with Still's disease: a case report and review of the literature

Adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic auto-inflammatory condition of unknown etiology, characterized by high fever, an evanescent, salmon-pink maculopapular skin rash, arthralgia or arthritis and leukocytosis. AOSD can also present with atypical cutaneous manifestations, such as persistent pruritic coalescent papules or plaques and linear lesions that have highly distinctive pathological features and are usually associated with severe disease. Herein, we present a 31-year-old Brazilian man with both typical Still's rash and atypical persistent polymorphic cutaneous manifestations associated with severe systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Eosinophils that are consistently lacking in the AOSD-associated skin lesions were evident in the skin biopsy of the persistent atypical cutaneous manifestations and were either drug-related or AOSD-associated.

The spectrum of histopathologic findings in cutaneous lesions in patients with Still disease

OBJECTIVES

Still disease is a rare disorder characterized by seronegative arthralgias/arthritis, spiking fever, and either an evanescent salmon-colored rash or persistent papules and plaques.

METHODS

We describe the clinical and biopsy findings in 10 patients with the evanescent rash of Still disease.

RESULTS

Fourteen biopsy specimens were studied from seven women and three men with a mean age of 44.4 years. The skin lesions were typically erythematous macules, papules, or plaques with a median duration of 5 weeks. All patients had systemic symptoms, including fever and arthralgias. The infiltrate was predominantly lymphocytic in six biopsy specimens, approximately equal lymphocytic and neutrophilic in four biopsy specimens, and predominantly (although never exclusively) neutrophilic in four biopsy specimens. Other findings included focal vacuolar interface changes, neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis, epidermal neutrophils, dermal mucin, and acanthosis associated with numerous upper epidermal dyskeratotic cells.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important to be aware of the broad histologic spectrum that may be encountered in Still disease and to consider Still disease in the differential diagnosis of neutrophil-rich, lymphocyte-rich, and mixed inflammatory dermatoses. While the histologic findings seen in biopsy specimens of the evanescent rash are nonspecific, a distinctive variant also exists characterized by prominent epidermal apoptosis, especially involving the upper layers.

Updates in adult-onset Still disease: Atypical cutaneous manifestations and associations with delayed malignancy

Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder that is clinically characterized by a heterogeneous constellation of symptoms and signs. Though an evanescent eruption is the classic cutaneous finding, recent literature has highlighted atypical rashes associated with Still disease. A second emerging concept in presentations of AOSD is its association with malignancy. This review focuses on these concepts: the clinical spectrum of atypical skin manifestations and AOSD as a paraneoplastic phenomenon. PubMed-MEDLINE was screened for peer-reviewed articles describing atypical presentations of AOSD and cases associated with malignancy. Erythematous, brown or violaceous, persistent papules and plaques were the most common cutaneous finding (28/30 [93%]). Linear configurations were also rarely described. Of these patients, 81% concurrently had the typical evanescent skin eruption. There were 31 patients with associated malignancies, most commonly breast cancer and lymphoma. The diagnosis of malignancy did not precede or immediately follow a clinical presentation otherwise consistent with AOSD in a considerable subset of patients (42%). Understanding the cutaneous spectrum of AOSD and heightened awareness for its delayed association with malignancy may lead to improved recognition of cutaneous variants and reinforce the need for diagnostic evaluation and long-term follow-up for malignancy in patients with this clinical presentation.

Persistent pruritic papules and plaques associated with adult-onset Still's disease: report of six cases

Typical skin rash, which appears and disappears along with respective rise and fall of fever, is well-known, and included as one of the major criteria of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) (Yamaguchi's criteria). In addition, various skin lesions are occasionally observed in association with AOSD. Persistent pruritic eruptions present with some clinical features, such as urticarial erythema, flagellate erythema, erythematous, slightly scaly or crusted papules, and/or plaques on the trunk and extremities. These lesions show unique histological features such as dyskeratosis with a peculiar, distinctive distribution in the upper epidermis and cornified layers with focal hyperkeratosis. We describe herein six cases of AOSD, which presented with skin lesions of persistent pruritic papules and plaques. All six cases were female, and three of them were elderly women. The patients presented with linear erythematous streaks, scaly erythema, keratotic papules, infiltrative plaques and irregular coalesced erythemas. By contrast, histological features were characteristic, and dyskeratotic cells were found in the horny layers as well as in the upper layers of the epidermis. Persistent pruritic eruption is an important cutaneous sign for the diagnosis of AOSD.

A Case of Adult-Onset Still's Disease Presenting with Urticated Plaques and Acute Myopericarditis

Adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology characterized by spiking fever, evanescent skin rash, arthralgia or arthritis, involvement of various organs, and predominantly neutrophilic leucocytosis. AOSD, although uncommon, has a characteristic constellation of clinical and laboratory features and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pyrexia of unknown origin associated with a rash and arthralgia. The diagnosis is one of clinical suspicion and it is essential that infections, malignancy, and other rheumatic diseases are excluded. We report a case which illustrates the typical features of AOSD that were treated with steroids and azathioprine.

Evanescent and persistent pruritic eruptions of adult-onset still disease: a clinical and pathologic study of 36 patients

OBJECTIVE

Persistent pruritic eruptions (PPE) are common among our patients with adult-onset Still disease (AOSD). We aimed to characterize the clinicopathologic features of the AOSD-associated evanescent and persistent rashes.

METHODS

We reviewed the clinicopathologic features of the skin lesions from all AOSD cases diagnosed in our hospital during 1988 to 2009. The diagnoses were based on Yamaguchi criteria for AOSD.

RESULTS

Altogether, there were 36 patients (6 men and 30 women) with age of onset ranging from 17 to 67 years (average 35.7 years). Evanescent rash was recorded in 31 patients (86%) and PPEs in 28 (78%). PPEs usually appeared at the disease onset and manifested as widespread, pruritic, erythematous urticarial or violaceous to brownish flat-topped (lichenoid) papules and plaques over the trunk, neck, face, and extensor sides of the extremities. PPEs were classified clinically as urticarial papules (n = 21), lichenoid papules (n = 18), prominent linear and dermographism-like (n = 11), dermatomyositis-like (n = 7), prurigo pigmentosa-like (n = 4), and lichen amyloidosis-like (n = 2). The clinical activity score was 5.78 ± 1.11 (range 4 to 8) for the series and 6.57 ± 0.98 and 5.57 ± 1.07, respectively, for the groups with and without dermatomyositis-like PPE (P = 0.0314). Five patients died, 3 of them with dermatomyositis-like PPE. Histopathologically, the evanescent rash (8 specimens) showed a superficial perivascular infiltrate of lymphocytes and neutrophils, whereas the PPEs (32 specimens) revealed solitary or cluster necrotic keratinocytes in the superficial epidermis with infiltration of lymphocytes and neutrophils in the upper and mid dermis.

CONCLUSIONS

PPEs were very common among our patients with AOSD. Recognition of the characteristic clinical and pathologic features of PPE can facilitate diagnosis of AOSD. Therefore, biopsy of atypical eruptions in AOSD patients is recommended because it is likely that the highly distinctive histopathologic features will allow these eruptions to be readily classified.

Cutaneous manifestations associated with adult-onset Still's disease: important diagnostic values

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory condition, characterized by a high spiking fever, leukocytosis with neutrophilia, arthralgia, and skin rash. Typical skin rash is an evanescent, salmon-pink erythema predominantly involving extremities, which is included as one of the diagnostic criteria; however, recent findings show that not only typical evanescent rash but also various skin lesions are associated with AOSD. The representative characteristic skin lesion among the non-classical skin rash is called persistent pruritic papules and plaques, which presents erythematous, slightly scaly papules with linear configuration on the trunk. Interestingly, persistent pruritic papules and plaques show unique histological features such as peculiar, distinctive distribution of dyskeratotic keratinocytes in the cornified layers as well as in the epidermis. Other non-classical skin lesions include urticaria. Current insights suggest that several inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, IL-18, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) play a pathogenic role in AOSD. In particular, IL-18 is suggested to play a crucial role in activating macrophages, favoring Th1 type cytokine production. IL-18 induces IFN-γ, IL-17, and TNF-α, which may play an important pathogenic role in AOSD. It is important to recognize the common and/or uncommon skin conditions of AOSD for early correct diagnosis. In this review, various skin lesions are introduced, and the complication with histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi disease) is further discussed.

Urticaria and dermographism in patients with adult-onset Still's disease

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) patients typically present with arthralgia, fever, lymphadenopathy and a transient salmon maculopapular rash. Only approximately 25 cases of AOSD with urticaria were described in the literature. In this article, the authors report three additional cases of AOSD with urticarial and dermographic lesions who had a good clinical response to glucocorticoid and antihistamines. A review of the literature concerning this issue is also herein written.

Persistent pruritic papules and plaques: a characteristic histopathologic presentation seen in a subset of patients with adult-onset and juvenile Still's disease

BACKGROUND

'Persistent pruritic papules and plaques' of Still's disease represents a recently described eruption seen in a subset of patients. Most cases reported in the literature to date have been associated with adult-onset Still's disease.

METHODS

We present the clinical and histopathologic examinations of three female patients ranging in age from 15 to 54 years.

RESULTS

Our three patients each presented with clinical findings consistent with Still's disease. The youngest patient suffered from the juvenile form of Still's disease (systemic-onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis). Each patient had a persistent, pruritic eruption with histopathologic findings of dyskeratosis confined to the upper layers of the epidermis as well as a sparse superficial dermal infiltrate containing scattered neutrophils.

CONCLUSIONS

These cases confirm the characteristic clinical and histopathologic findings of 'persistent papules and plaques of Still's disease' and show the potential for this eruption in both the adult and juvenile age groups.