Eosinophils in lupus panniculitis and morphea profunda

The extent of eosinophils in skin biopsy and peripheral blood specimens of patients with lupus panniculitis and morphea profunda was determined by studying 37 biopsies from 33 patients with lupus panniculitis and 55 biopsies from 53 patients with morphea profunda. Specimens from 8 (24%) of 33 patients with lupus panniculitis showed eosinophils, and 13 (25%) of 53 patients with morphea profunda had eosinophils in the subcutaneous tissue. In all cases, the diagnosis of lupus panniculitis or morphea profunda was established on the basis of other, more characteristic histologic features; the presence of eosinophils was incidental and not a diagnostic criterion. Occasional cases of lupus panniculitis or morphea profunda had numerous eosinophils. However, in most of the specimens, eosinophils were absent or observed in small numbers. Only 3% of patients with lupus panniculitis showed an increase in the number of eosinophils in the peripheral blood, whereas 47% of patients with morphea profunda had peripheral eosinophilia. The degree of hyaline necrosis in lupus panniculitis or of sclerosis in morphea profunda did not correlate with the number of eosinophils present in the biopsy specimen or peripheral blood.