Livedo Reticularis Associated with Cryoglobulinemia and Thrombocytopenia. Presented by Dr. Carl T. Nelson.
A white woman aged 65 has a purplish discoloration of the nose, with a mottled, reticulated eruption of the arms, legs, and trunk of 15 months' duration.
In the summer of 1955 the patient first noted a violaceous discoloration of the nose and the development of a reticulated eruption on the shoulders and proximal portions of the arms and legs. The eruption slowly spread to include most of the trunk and extremities, and areas of purpura developed on the lower legs and forearms. The patient was admitted to another hospital, where a provisional diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus was made on the basis of the cutaneous lesions and a palpable spleen. Thrombocytopenia was noted, but on therapy with prednisone the platelet count rose from 34,000 to 70,000. The cutaneous signs persisted, however,