Pulmonary and central nervous system involvement in Sweet's syndrome: a very rare case report

Sweet's syndrome is a multisystem inflammatory disorder characterized by painful, erythematous plaques and aseptic neutrophilic infiltration of various organs. The absence of vasculitis is a histological criterion for diagnosis, but recent reports suggest that vasculitis can occur in Sweet's syndrome. Involvement of the central nervous system and the pulmonary system is very rare. In this case study we describe a chronic alcoholic man with Sweet's syndrome associated with acute-onset encephalitis and severe pulmonary involvement. The patient's symptoms responded dramatically to steroid treatment, and notably, a skin biopsy of his lesions showed vasculitis.