Large Subcutaneous Calcification in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract

A 42-year-old woman first received the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus at our hospital in 1986. Thereafter, she noticed a small subcutaneous nodule on her left leg. This nodule became larger, and many new nodules appeared. Some of these were amassed to form large, flat, platelike tumors. Roentgenographic and histological examination revealed that they were calcium deposits. To our knowledge, this is the first report of very large, hard tumors resulting from calcium deposition in the skin.

Calcinose cútis distrófica universal associada a lúpus eritematoso sistêmico: um caso exuberante

“…The dystrophic form of this condition occurs when calcium salts are deposited following damage or tissue devitalization in the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscles or tendons in the presence of normal calcium and phosphorus metabolism and no visceral involvement. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Calcium salt deposits in the skin and subcutaneous tissue are found in a variety of rheumatic diseases, being most commonly associated with scleroderma, dermatomyositis and overlap syndromes and constitute a rare complication of SLE. [1][2][3] In lupus, calcinosis is a rare skin manifestation.…”

“…It has been classified into four types: metastatic, dystrophic, idiopathic and iatrogenic. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the formation of ectopic calcium deposits is a rare finding. The first cases were described in 1961 and occurred at a mean of 9.8 years following diagnosis of SLE.…”