title: Lupus erythematosus tumidus: a clinical and histological study of 25 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lupus erythematosus tumidus (LET) is a subtype of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) that has been well characterized in recent years. However, some controversy still remains concerning the histological features of epidermal involvement.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this report is to describe the clinical and microscopic features of LET in patients diagnosed at Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective study of 25 patients with a diagnosis of LET.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients presented with typical LET lesions (smooth, erythematous plaques without macroscopic epidermal changes, such as follicular plugs or scale, that resolved without residual scarring or hypopigmentation). None of the patients fulfilled the criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus during follow-up. Test results for antinuclear antibodies were positive in five patients (20%), with titres below one of 320 in all cases. Twenty-two patients (88%) required antimalarial therapy; response was good in 70% and moderate response in 30%. Minor epidermal alterations were observed in 52% of biopsy specimens, with focal basal vacuolization being the most frequent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LET is a variant of CLE that has distinctive clinical, histologic and prognostic features. Unlike the patients in the case series previously described in the literature, most of our patients required treatment with antimalarials. Histology revealed mild epidermal alterations in a significant percentage of patients. Thus, in our opinion, the absence of microscopic epidermal alterations is not constant in LET.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain clararodriguezcarun@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Caruncho
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bielsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fernández-Figueras
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roca
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Carrascosa
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrándiz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008178:Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D008179:Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D000962:Antimalarials
keywords: Cutaneous lupus; discoid lupus; lupus tumidus; subacute lupus erythematosus