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. 2019 Oct 11;5(10):931–932. doi: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2019.05.025

Iatrogenic neutrophilic febrile dermatosis

Boya Abudu a, Sean Foley b, Neil Kalra c, Aleksandr Itkin d,
PMCID: PMC6804471  PMID: 31649983

Case presentation

A 45-year-old man presented with 4 days of fevers up to 39°C and a diffuse pustular rash on the upper body. Clinical history was notable for recent nocturia and urinary hesitancy for which he was empirically prescribed sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. The patient discontinued this antibiotic after 3 days due to diarrhea and subsequently started levofloxacin. Within 24 hours, the patient developed a descending pustular rash starting on his head. Physical examination found edematous, erythematous, follicular pink and yellow-tinged coalescent papules and plaques on the cheeks, trunk, and upper extremities (Figs 1 and 2). A punch biopsy was taken from the chest (Fig 3).

Fig 1.

Fig 1

Fig 2.

Fig 2

Fig 3.

Fig 3

Question 1: What is the most likely diagnosis?

  • A.

    Drug-induced acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis (Sweet syndrome)

  • B.

    Generalized pustular psoriasis, von Zumbusch type

  • C.

    Neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis

  • D.

    Neutrophilic sebaceous adenitis

  • E.

    Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis

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Footnotes

Funding sources: None.

Conflicts of interest: None disclosed.


Articles from JAAD Case Reports are provided here courtesy of Elsevier

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