A combination of hemorrhagic and ulcerative necrotic forms of polymorphic dermal angiitis in a female patient with B-cell lymphoma receiving biological therapy

Angiitis (skin vasculitis) is a dermatosis the key component of which is nonspecific inflammation of the dermal and hypodermal blood vessels of different diameters. Infection and drug hypersensitivity are the most significant factors triggering the disease development. This paper presents a case with polymorphic dermal angiitis - a combination of the hemorrhagic and ulcerative necrotic form, unfolding under conditions of rituksimab therapy in a 53-year-old female patient with chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL). Painful eruptions on the skin of both legs emerged after the 5 th intravenous injection of rituksimab. The skin process progressed during several days, the pain in the foci augmented. Rituksimab is a drug based on synthetic (gene engineering) chimerical human/mouse monoclonal antibodies specific to CD20 antigen, detected on the surface of normal and malignant B lymphocytes. The drug is used in therapy for B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas in adult patients.

polymorphic dermal angiitis, rituksimab, chronic lymphoid leukemia, systemic glucocorticosteroids