Lipophagic panniculitis of childhood M35.6

Winkelmann RK et al. 1989

Rare immunologically induced panniculitis, wherein an interferon-mediated autoinflammatory etiology is suspected.

Associations with various autoimmunological diseases are suspected.

Symptoms occur in children (usually before the age of 10). Healing occurs under a focal lipatrophy. Due to this scarring healing mode, the clinical picture differs from the erythema nodosum, which heals without scarring (without denting).

Lower leg, especially ankle regions

Fever with a clear feeling of illness; reactive arthritis. At the same time, recurrent red plaques and/or nodules, mostly occurring on the lower legs (often on the ankle regions), which expand to form abnormal plaques.

Histologically a mixed-cell lobular panniculitis is detectable.

Systemic glucocorticoids. In case of resistance to therapy add methotrexate.

Winkelmann mentioned in 1989 in his original publication (Winkelmann RK et al.1989) that such cases of (idiopathic) infantile panniculitides, formerly known as "Weber-Christian`sche Erkrankung" or"Rothmann-Makai Syndrome", had been reported.

1. Jain S et al (2015) Eosinophilic panniculitis in a female child: An unusual presentation. Indian Dermatol Online J 6:34-36.
2. Levy J et al (2017) Lipophagic panniculitis of Childhood: A Case Report and Comprehensive Review of the Literature. At J Dermatopathol 39:217-224.
3. Santonja C et al (2012) Lipoatrophic panniculitis of the ankles in childhood: differential diagnosis with subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma. At J Dermatopathol 34:295-300.
4. Shen LY et al (2010) Lipoatrophic panniculitis: case report and review of the literature. Arch Dermatol 146:877-881.
5. Winkelmann RK et al (1989) Lipophagic panniculitis of childhood. JAm Acad Dermatol 21:971-978.