A Case of Lupus Erythematosus Tumidus

Abstract

A 72-year-old female was referred to our hospital with asymptomatic redness and swelling of the right upper eyelid that she noticed a month earlier. Physical examination revealed edematous erythema with mild inltration localized to the right upper eyelid. Blood testing showed weakly positive antinuclear antibodies. The patient had been taking rosuvastatin for several years, which was positive in a drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST). Histopathological examination revealed lymphocytic inltration around the blood vessels and appendages in the dermis, along with mucin deposition throughout the dermis. No decrease in MED and MRD was observed in an ultraviolet irradiation test. Based on these ndings, the patient was diagnosed with lupus erythematosus tumidus (LET). Topical steroids had no effect on her condition. After instructions to avoid light exposure and switching her medication from rosuvastatin to another drug, her skin symptoms spontaneously disappeared in about six months. LET is one of the rarer forms of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Drug-induced LET is considered extremely rare, and we suspected that rosuvastatin was involved in the present case. We report this case with a review of the literature. Skin Research, 23 : 120-124, 2024