Sweet's syndrome in Behçet's disease.

UNLABELLED: Few cases of Sweet's syndrome have been reported in patients with Behçet's disease. CASE REPORT: A 47-year-old woman with five year history of oral and genital ulcers that had not been investigated previously was admitted for an eruption of tender, erythematous, vesicle-like papules over the face, neck, palms, and legs. She reported polyarthralgia and weight loss of 6 kg over the previous month. At admission, she had a fever of 38.5 degrees C and conjunctivitis. Joint tenderness to mobilization without evidence of synovitis was noted. Laboratory tests showed inflammation and leukocytosis (12.5x10(9)/L) with 74% neutrophils. The skin biopsy was typical for Sweet's syndrome, and the pathergy test was positive. Glucocorticoid therapy 40 mg/day and colchicine were effective in alleviating the manifestations. DISCUSSION: Overlap exists between the clinical manifestations of Sweet's syndrome and Behçet's disease. Data from the literature suggest that Behçet's disease may be among the conditions that underlie Sweet's syndrome.