title: Pediatric Sweet syndrome. A retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sweet syndrome (SS) is a relatively rare pediatric diagnosis, with fewer than 80 pediatric cases reported in the literature, characterized by tender erythematous plaques and nodules associated with systemic inflammation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the charts of pediatric patients diagnosed with SS both clinically and histologically at our reference hospital between the years of 2000 and 2012. Clinical, laboratory, and pathologic data were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found five patients; four were male, aged between 9 and 14 years. All had fever, elevated markers of systemic inflammation, and typical skin lesions. SS was associated with underlying hematologic malignancy in one patient; all-trans retinoic acid in another; infection in two patients; and in one patient, no identifiable cause was found. Three of the five patients treated with systemic corticosteroids had excellent response, and two had recurrences and received additional treatment with dapsone and saturated solution of potassium iodide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sweet syndrome is an extremely rare diagnosis in children. It is associated with the same conditions as in adults, but it is more frequently associated with infections than malignancies. In general, prognosis is good, but recurrences occur and second-line treatment may be needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Section of Dermatology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: García-Romero
authors.forename: Nhung
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016463:Sweet Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis