Eosinophilic fasciitis: Report of three cases

Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is a scleroderma-like disease of unknown etiology characterized by cutaneous swelling and induration that affects predominantly the extremities, elevated immune globulins, and peripheral eosinophilia. We report three patients with clinical, laboratory and pathologic characteristics of EF. The main symptoms were cutaneous and included "peau d' orange", groove signs and induration of the affected extremities. Two patients had skin changes after exercising and one had a hypothyroidism. None had extra-cutaneous manifestations. All patients had peripheral eosinophilia. Pathologic findings were thickening and inflammation of the fascia and normal epidermis. Only one patient was treated with prednisone 30 mg daily and showed only moderate improvement. There is no follow up information about the other two cases. EF is a rare disorder classified at times as scleroderma variants. However, its clinical picture, capillary microscopy findings, pathology and prognosis differentiate it from systemic sclerosis.