What is Sweets syndrome?
Sweet’s syndrome is also known as acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis and mimics vasculitis. It is associated with malignancy in 10% to 15% of patients. Sweet’s is most commonly seen with acute myelogenous leukemia but has been described with many malignancies. It has been associated with acute, self-limited polyarthritis in 20% of cases. It can be treated effectively with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or corticosteroids, although malignancy-associated Sweet’s syndrome may be treatment-resistant.
The cardinal features are:
- • Abrupt onset of raised, often painful papules and plaques on the extremities (dorsum of hands), face, neck, or trunk.
- • Fever.
- • Peripheral neutrophilic leukocytosis.
- • Dense dermal neutrophilic infiltrates without vasculitis on biopsy.
