[Peripheral erosive arthritis in pustulosis palmoplantaris. Apropos of 3 cases]

Three cases of pustulosis palmoplantaris with erosive arthritis are reported. There were two females (aged 53 and 59 years) and one male (aged 39 years). Skin lesions preceded joint lesions in every case (by 2 years, several weeks, and 1 year, respectively). Joints involved were one wrist in two patients and both hips in one patient. Inflammatory joint pain occurred concomitantly with an exacerbation of the skin disease. In two cases, an upper respiratory tract infection preceded the joint manifestations by a few days. Synovial fluid from affected joints was obtained in all three cases and found to be sterile. In the two patients who had histologic studies of skin lesion biopsy specimens, unilocular non-spongiform lesions suggestive of nonpsoriasic disease were found. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels were raised in every case. HLA groups were [A2, A19, B12, B27], [A2, A9, B12, B19, B27, Dr4, Dr6], and [A2, A19, B12, B13, Dr7, Dr8]. All three patients were given a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent. Despite this therapy, destruction of the wrist occurred in both females and bilateral hip destruction required bilateral total hip replacement in the male. The rapidity with which joint destruction occurred suggested infectious disease, especially due to a saprophytic organism. Virtually all previously reported pustulosis palmoplantaris patients with bone and joint manifestations had arthralgia or non-destructive arthritis in appendicular joints, whereas bone and joint destruction has been described in axial structures.