Frequency of skeletal disease, arthro-osteitis, in patients with pustulosis palmoplantaris.

Fourteen randomly selected patients with pustulosis palmoplantaris were examined to determine the frequency of skeletal involvement. Symptoms and both clinical and radiographic signs of skeletal disease occurred in five patients (36%). Four patients had erosive and/or sclerotic changes in the region of the sternoclavicular, the first sternocostal, and/or the manubriosternal joint, in two with additional ossification of the costoclavicular ligament. Two patients had spinal involvement, one paravertebral ossifications, and the other sequelae of anterior spondylodiskitis. Peripheral joint complaints without radiographically detectable erosions, but with periarticular new bone formation, occurred in three patients. The skeletal changes are probably not incidental and seems to constitute a seronegative spondyloarthropathy associated with pustulosis palmoplantaris.