ERYTHEMA NODOSUM AS A TYPE OF SEPTAL PANNICULITIS IN RHEUMATOLOGIC PRACTICE: EVALUATION OF THE COURSE AND OUTCOMES

Abstract

Study objective: to study clinical and laboratory peculiarities of EN depending on the etiological agent as well as to determine disease recurrence risk factors. Materials and methods: the study included 121 patient with EN. Depending on the reason of origin all patients were divided into three groups: EN with sL (66 subjects), EN in pregnant women (23 subjects) and infectionassociated EN (32 persons). The work evaluated peculiarities of the course and outcomes of EN for each of the groups. Results: Clinical and laboratory characteristics was on the whole comparable in groups with infection associated EN and EN in pregnancy, but was sharply different from those observed in sL. In the recent case a considerable increase of inflammatory activity values was noted as well. A characteristic clinical sign of infection-associated EN is a symptom of the “bruise blossoming”. The recurrence in groups of EN in pregnancy and in sL was observed in ¼ of cases. In the infection-associated EN group the recurrence took place in 40% of case, which was due to lower therapeutic effect from antivirals and greater disposition of the viral infection to chronicity.