[Cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis as a marker of systemic diseases]

Fifty-eight patients with cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis were evaluated. The most frequent cutaneous manifestation was purpura, followed by palpable purpura. Vascular inflammation was confirmed by skin biopsy: two distinct patterns of cellular infiltrate were found, a neutrophilic-predominant and a mononuclear-predominant type, as a manifestation of the dynamic evolution of the process. On the basis of the associated disease we grouped our cases as follows: autoimmune disease, reaction, malignancy, infection and idiopathic.