Rowell's syndrome

Rowell's syndrome is the name given to a distinct group of patients with lupus erythematosus who develop erythema multiforme-like lesions and have a characteristic serological picture. We report a case of a 29-year-old woman of Afro-Caribbean origin who presented with an erythema multiforme-like eruption on the hands. Subsequently she developed painful erythematous swellings on the feet and scaly plaques on the forearm and thigh consistent with subacute cutaneous lupus. She developed a positive antinuclear factor and had positive anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies and a positive rheumatoid factor. All of these features are consistent with Rowell's syndrome which we believe is a rare but distinct variant of cutaneous lupus erythematosus.