Abstract
Erythema nodosum recurred in a woman during each of her four pregnancies and every time she was started on oral contraceptives. The lesions always disappeared in the fifth month of gestation or when contraceptives were withdrawn. Erythema nodosum is mediated by immune mechanisms, and both pregnancy and oral contraceptive use can interfere with the immune system. The concentrations of oestrogen and progesterone or the ratio between them may be critical to the development of erythema nodosum. The observation that the lesions spontaneously resolved in the fifth month of pregnancy supports this hypothesis.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Elias P. M. Erythema nodosum and serological lupus erythematosus. Simultaneous occurrence in a patient using oral contraceptives. Arch Dermatol. 1973 Nov;108(5):716–718. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hagen C., Froland A. Depressed lymphocyte response to P.H.A. in women taking oral contraceptives. Lancet. 1972 May 27;1(7761):1185–1185. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)91415-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kay D. R., Bole G. G., Jr, Ledger W. J. Antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor and C-reactive protein in serum of normal women using oral contraceptives. Arthritis Rheum. 1971 Mar-Apr;14(2):239–248. doi: 10.1002/art.1780140208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lambotte R., Hustin J. Influence du climat hormonal sur l'intensité de la réaction immunologique de type Arthus. C R Seances Soc Biol Fil. 1974;168(1):147–151. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]