Scleredema adultorum; ocular manifestations.

Abstract

SCLEREDEMA adultorum, first described by Buschke 1 (1900, 1902), is a rare systemic disease characterized by generalized nonpitting edema of the body unassociated with fever, loss of weight, or much evidence of illness. It is preceded by an acute infection, usually respiratory, and of streptococcal origin. There follows an asymptomatic period, varying from a few days to several months, although occasionally there may be a prodrome of malaise, myalgia, and low-grade fever. Then begins a pale, firm swelling of the skin, commencing as a rule at the nape of the neck and referred to by the patient as a stiff neck. It spreads to the face, chest, trunk, and abdomen, and, to a less extent, the extremities. The evolution of edema is rapid, being sometimes a matter of only two or three weeks. A slow regression commences soon, which may take from one to eight months. Isolated patches or islands