Dermatitis artefacta mimicking cutaneous vasculitis: case report and literature overview

Abstract

A 31-year-old Caucasian woman with a history of anxiety disorder presented with chronic ulcerative lesions of the skin in arms and legs, treated initially as cutaneous vasculitis, evolving with relapsing during corticosteroid tapering, was diagnosed, after thorough investigation and no organic disease found, with dermatitis artefacta – a self-inflicted harm due to psychological disorders. Dermatitis artefacta is a rare condition, more frequent in women, in which traumatic skin lesions are caused by the patient him/herself, over accessible parts of the body, due to personality disorders. Clinicians should be aware of this alternative aetiology, especially as a differential diagnosis for refractory cutaneous vasculitis.