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Erythema Nodosum

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Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology

Synonyms

Chronic erythema nodosum; Erythema contusiformis; Erythema nodosum (EN); Erythema nodosum migrans (EDM); Subacute migratory panniculitis of Vilanova and Piñol

Definition

Erythema nodosum (EN) is a septal panniculitis, which indicates that the inflammation in this disease occurs primarily along the fibrous septa which separate lobules of subcutaneous fat. Generally, the lesions of EN are located symmetrically over the anterior lower extremities. EN may be idiopathic or may be related to an infection, medications, sarcoidosis, inflammatory bowel disease, or other causes (Patterson 2008).

Introduction

EN, the most common type of panniculitis, was first described by Robert Willan during the eighteenth century (Patterson 2008 and Gilchrist and Patterson 2010). It is an inflammation of the fat most commonly seen symmetrically and bilaterally located over the lower legs.

Epidemiology

EN occurs in about 1–5 in every 100,000 individuals. The disease most often affects young women; the...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, 240 East 38th Street, 11th Floor Administration, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Sarika Ramachandran

Authors
  1. Sarika Ramachandran
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarika Ramachandran .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ian R. Mackay

  2. Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Noel R. Rose

  3. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Betty Diamond

  4. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Anne Davidson

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Ramachandran, S. (2014). Erythema Nodosum. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Diamond, B., Davidson, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84828-0_273

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-84828-0_273

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-84827-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-84828-0

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