Generalized essential telangiectasia in a patient with Graves' disease: should the spectrum of autoimmune diseases associated with generalized telangiectasia be expanded?
Generalized essential telangiectasia (GET), as originally described, is not associated with any underlying disease. Although patients with GET lack the typical periungual telangiectases associated with autoimmune collagen vascular diseases, these patients may have an underlying autoimmune process. We present a patient with a history of Graves' disease and low-titer anti-nuclear antibodies, who developed rapidly progressive generalized telangiectases. The gender and age of the majority of patients with GET fit well within the demographics of most autoimmune diseases. The documented occurrence of an autoimmune disease in several of the limited number of patients previously diagnosed with GET provides additional evidence that GET may be associated with an underlying autoimmune disease.
Buckley
R
R
National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Smith
K J
KJ
Skelton
H G
HG
D000328:Adult; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D013684:Telangiectasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*