Upper-airway obstruction instigated by Sweet's syndrome

BACKGROUND: Skin lesions in Sweet's syndrome typically appear as tender, red or purple-red papules or nodules. Cutaneous pathergy can be present in this syndrome, with skin lesions occurring after venapucture, biopsy, or intravenous catheter placement. This skin reaction can be extremely severe, as illustrated by this case-report. CASE REPORT: A patient with myelodysplastic syndrome who developed a progressive skin lesion and serious pharyngeal mucosal edema following sternal bone marrow aspiration necessitating emergency intubation is presented. A skin biopsy specimen was consistent with the diagnosis of Sweet's syndrome. Prompt treatment with corticosteroids and discontinuation of treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor resulted in rapid recovery. CONCLUSIONS: To the knowledge of these authors, this is the first reported case of Sweet's syndrome causing a compromised airway due to progressive dermal infiltration and edema