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Lucio’s phenomenon: report of five cases

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Abstract

The different clinical forms of leprosy are mainly related to the variety of immunological responses to the infection. Several forms of lepromatous leprosy are recognized, including macular, nodular, and diffuse. Lucio’s phenomenon is a rare but distinctive skin eruption seen in patients with diffuse lepromatous leprosy. The diffuse lesions of Lucio’s phenomenon have a predilection for the extremities, can include nodules, and heal with atrophic stellate scars; histologically, a necrotizing vasculitis accompanied by a nonspecific inflammatory reaction may be seen. Because of its rarity and similarity with some manifestations of the rheumatic disease and other causes of vasculitis, Lucio’s phenomenon may not be easily recognized, especially in non-endemic countries, which leads to confusing diagnosis and loss of time for treatment. We report five patients with vasculitis caused by Lucio’s phenomenon.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Raúl Galoppe, Ph.D. (Montclair State University) for his help in translating the manuscript.

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The authors declare that they have none to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rheumatology Section, Hospital JM Cullen, Av Freyre 2150- (3000), Santa Fe, Argentina

    Pablo Finucci Curi, Federico Ceccato & Sergio Paira

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Interzonal San Juan Bautista, Catamarca, Argentina

    Julieta Solis Villaroel

  3. Department of Pathology, Hospital JM Cullen, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Nora Migliore

  4. Department of Pathology, Hospital Iturraspe, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Adriana Albertengo

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, Sanatorio Chaco SRL, Chaco, Argentina

    María Laura Aquino

Authors
  1. Pablo Finucci Curi
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  2. Julieta Solis Villaroel
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  3. Nora Migliore
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  4. Adriana Albertengo
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  5. María Laura Aquino
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  6. Federico Ceccato
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  7. Sergio Paira
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sergio Paira.

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Curi, P.F., Villaroel, J.S., Migliore, N. et al. Lucio’s phenomenon: report of five cases. Clin Rheumatol 35, 1397–1401 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-014-2683-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-014-2683-2

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