A 29-year-old Caucasian woman presented with a 3-month history of bilateral lower limb swelling with painful erythematous nodules on shins without ulceration. She had been taking minocycline for acne vulgaris for 3 years. Biochemical investigations showed deranged liver function test with positive ANA and mixed antinuclear factor (ANF) pattern. A skin biopsy was in keeping with a diagnosis of nodular vasculitis. Her skin lesions and liver function test improved within 3 months of stopping the minocycline treatment. This case report raises the awareness that minocycline could be a potential cause of nodular vasculitis, patients on minocycline should be closely monitored and minocycline should ideally not be prescribed for more than 12 weeks, given the possible adverse effects.
Keywords: acne; dermatopathology; drug reaction; erythema induratum; minocycline; nodular vasculitis; panniculitis.
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