Interstitial granulomatous dermatitis with cutaneous cords and arthritis: a disorder associated with autoantibodies

Interstitial granulomatous dermatitis with arthritis is a new entity characterized by linear or arciform subcutaneous cords. We describe a patient presenting with typical cutaneous lesions extending from the anterior and posterior part of the axillae to the flank. The lesions had been present for 6 years with flares and remission. Histopathologic examination revealed a bandlike infiltrate of histiocytes in the reticular dermis with focal areas of palisading around necrotic collagen bundles. A few atypical histiocytes were also present. As previously described, it was associated with serologic findings of an autoimmune disease, especially high titers of anti-DNA antibodies. The possible inclusion of the interstitial granulomatous dermatitis in the continuous spectrum of the palisaded neutrophilic and granulomatous dermatitis of immune complex disease is also discussed.