BACKGROUND: Pyoderma gangrenosum is an infrequent neutrophilic dermatosis. It presents more frequently with painful cutaneous ulcers, with undermined violaceous borders. The legs are most commonly affected. Etiology is uncertain, although there is an association with other diseases in 50% of the cases,. Histopathology is non-specific and diagnosis is mostly clinical. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical and pathological profile of a sample of patients with pyoderma gangrenosum. METHOD: This was a retrospective study performed with the patients diagnosed in the period between 2000 and 2006 at the Service of Dermatology of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were considered. Average age was 49 years and women predominated (62.5%). The average period between the beginning of the illness and the diagnosis was 1.6 years. The most prevalent clinical form was the ulcerative (81.25%), and 87.5% of the lesions were on the legs. The most frequent symptom was local pain (37.5%). Crohn’s disease, diabetes, collagen diseases and leukemias were all found as co-morbidities. Treatment consisted of a systemic steroid, either alone or associated to other drugs; 43.75% had recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The results were consistent with the literature. The most frequently associated diseasse were Crohn´s disease, diabetes and connective tissue diseases. Systemic steroids were the most used therapy modality. Most of the patients presented complete healing of the lesions. However, recurrence rate was high.
Pyoderma gangrenosum; Skin diseases; Skin diseases; Skin ulcers
