Angelo V. Marzano, Miriam Vanotti, Elvio Alessi
DOI: 10.1080/00015550410030691

Anetodermais a rare cutaneous disease characterized by a loss of normal elastictissue that is presented clinically as localized areas of wrinkled orflaccid skin. This form may be associated with several immunologicalabnormalities, most notably lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipidantibodies with or without clinical manifestations of theantiphospholipid syndrome. A retrospective study was conducted with theaim of summarizing the clinical characteristics, course and laboratoryfindings in three women with anetoderma-associated lupus erythematosuspanniculitis, an unusual variant of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. The3 patients (of the 12 patients with lupus erythematosus panniculitisseen by us since 1990) were all at a young age at onset of panniculitis(median, 22 years). None of the patients developed severe systemicinvolvement up to 9 years (median, 5 years) from onset of the disease.The most noteworthy laboratory finding was the presence ofantiphospholipid antibodies. Anetodermic lupus erythematosuspanniculitis may be regarded as an uncommon variant of cutaneous lupuserythematosus mainly affecting young females and showing a favourableclinical course, although the patients should be followed and screenedfor the emergence of antiphospholipid syndrome. Antiphospholipidantibodies could play a role in the elastolytic process, leading toanetoderma.