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To the Editor.—
During the past 1½ years, I have seen three patients with an unusual combination of signs and symptoms.
Report of Cases.—
The three women, aged 25 to 35 years, all had a long history of ear dermatitis to their pierced earrings. All three women had an intermittent history of eczematous dermatitis, and, in two instances, there were unusual, nummular, vesicular patches, mainly on the legs, but also occurring on the arms and trunk. No contactant had ever been found to account for these eruptions. All three women had a long history (in two patients, dating back to their early teens) of severe bowel disease, which included cramping diarrhea, abdominal pains, and nausea. One patient's condition had been recently diagnosed as lactose intolerance, and one patient's condition was diagnosed as lactose intolerance during the time I was seeing her. Because of the diagnosis in the other two patients,