Neutrophilic pustulosis and ulcerative colitis

Neutrophilic pustulosis is currently considered as a part of the spectrum of Sweet's syndrome, and has been associated with inflammatory bowel disease and several other diseases. We report the case of a 34-year-old male who had been suffering from ulcerative colitis (UC) for several years and who experienced the manifestation of a pustular eruption on both forearms and the abdominal wall during an exacerbation of his bowel disease. Both processes were controlled with steroids per os. The histological picture showed an inflammatory infiltrate composed mainly of neutrophils with scattered neutrophilic epidermal abscesses. Certain distinct clinical and histological characteristics have been described as diagnostic of the pustular eruption of UC. This picture should be included in the spectrum of the neutrophilic dermatosis, in our case associated with an ulcerative colitis. This is a well documented clinical and histologic case report of a recognized association of inflammatory pustulosis in the course of ulcerative colitis.