Sweet's Syndrome: A Case Report of a Rare Extraintestinal Manifestation of Ulcerative Colitis

Cureus. 2022 Mar 8;14(3):e22980. doi: 10.7759/cureus.22980. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Sweet's syndrome is a neutrophilic dermatosis of unknown etiology and a rare extraintestinal manifestation of ulcerative colitis. Classically, it is more common in women with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This syndrome typically presents in patients with acute-onset painful tender erythematous skin lesions and is usually accompanied by fever, arthralgia, and elevated inflammatory markers. Histological examination is characterized by diffuse dense dermal neutrophilic infiltrate with leukocytoclasia, without vasculitis. The treatment goals are to reduce morbidity and complications, and the most effective therapy is systemic corticosteroids. Early recognition of this syndrome is essential to improve our diagnostic and therapeutic abilities. We report a case of a 59-year-old female with ulcerative colitis, which presented with manifestations of Sweet's syndrome.

Keywords: episcleritis; inflammatory bowel disease; sweet’s syndrome; systemic corticosteroids; ulcerative colitis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports