Acne Fulminans Clinical Presentation

  • Author: Ryszard Zaba, MD, PhD; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD   more...
 
Updated: Mar 29, 2011
 

History

The primary features of this disease include the following:

  • Sudden onset
  • Severe and often ulcerating acne
  • Fever and polyarthritis
  • Failure to respond to antibacterial therapy
  • Good response to oral steroid therapy, after 4-6 weeks, the addition of oral isotretinoin

Acne fulminans predominantly affects young males with a history of acne.

Painful splenomegaly and erythema nodosum may be present.[11]

Bone pain related to aseptic osteolysis may be present. Gordon et al report a case of a 13-year-old boy with severe acne and multiple osteolytic bone lesions who presented to pediatric oncologists; the patient avoided unnecessary painful diagnostic procedures when it was recognized he had acne fulminans.[12]

Patients with acne fulminans and acneiform folliculitis may have chronic aseptic multifocal osteomyelitis.

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Physical

Acne fulminans (similar to acne conglobata) demonstrates numerous inflammatory nodules on the trunk. In acne fulminans, the large nodules tend to become painful ulcers with overhanging borders surrounding exudative necrotic plaques that become confluent; however, polyporous comedones and noninflammatory cysts are not evident (as seen in acne conglobata). Erythematous neovascular nodules may also be seen.

Acne fulminans is a systemic disease. Patients may demonstrate a bent-over posture because polyarthritis may make walking painful.

Inflammatory arthralgia may affect 1 joint or several joints, especially the hips, the knees, and the thighs.

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Causes

See Pathophysiology.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Ryszard Zaba, MD, PhD  Director, Department of Dermatology, Professor, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Poznan University School of Medical Sciences, Poland

Ryszard Zaba, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology and Sigma Xi

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH  Professor and Head, Dermatology, Professor of Pathology, Pediatrics, Medicine, and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School

Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, American College of Physicians, and Sigma Xi

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Alexa F Boer Kimball, MD, MPH  Associate Professor of Dermatology, Harvard University School of Medicine; Vice Chair, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Director of Clinical Unit for Research Trials in Skin (CURTIS), Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Alexa F Boer Kimball, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, and Society for Investigative Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

David F Butler, MD  Professor of Dermatology, Texas A&M University College of Medicine; Chair, Department of Dermatology, Director, Dermatology Residency Training Program, Scott and White Clinic, Northside Clinic

David F Butler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, American Society for MOHS Surgery, Association of Military Dermatologists, and Phi Beta Kappa

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Jeffrey Meffert, MD  Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology, University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio

Jeffrey Meffert, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, Association of Military Dermatologists, and Texas Dermatological Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Joel M Gelfand, MD, MSCE  Medical Director, Clinical Studies Unit, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Associate Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania

Joel M Gelfand, MD, MSCE is a member of the following medical societies: Society for Investigative Dermatology

Disclosure: AMGEN Consulting fee Consulting; AMGEN Grant/research funds Investigator; Genentech Grant/research funds investigator; Centocor Consulting fee Consulting; Abbott Grant/research funds investigator; Abbott Consulting fee Consulting; Novartis investigator; Pfizer Grant/research funds investigator; Celgene Consulting fee DMC Chair; NIAMS and NHLBI Grant/research funds investigator

Chief Editor

Dirk M Elston, MD  Director, Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology, New York

Dirk M Elston, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous Chief Editor, William D. James, MD, to the development and writing of this article.

References

  1. Burns RE, Colville JM. Acne conglobata with septicemia. Arch Dermatol. 1959;79:361-3.

  2. Windom RE, Sanford JP, Ziff M. Acne conglobata and arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. Dec 1961;4:632-5. [Medline].

  3. Iqbal M, Kolodney MS. Acne fulminans with synovitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis-osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome treated with infliximab. J Am Acad Dermatol. May 2005;52(5 Suppl 1):S118-20. [Medline].

  4. Wollina U, Gesina H, Koch A, Kostler E. Case reports: acne fulminans in Marfan syndrome. J Drugs Dermatol. Jul-Aug 2005;4(4):501-5. [Medline].

  5. Heydenreich G. Testosterone and anabolic steroids and acne fulminans. Arch Dermatol. Apr 1989;125(4):571-2. [Medline].

  6. Kalbarczyk K, Ciupinska M. Complications during treatment with Roaccutane, acne fulminans 2001. Dermatol Klin (Wroclaw). 2001;3 (Suppl 1):130.

  7. Palatsi R, Oikarinen A. Hormonal analysis and delayed hypersensitivity reactions in identical twins with severe acne. Acta Derm Venereol. 1979;59(2):157-60. [Medline].

  8. Placzek M, Degitz K, Schmidt H, Plewig G. Acne fulminans in late-onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Lancet. Aug 28 1999;354(9180):739-40. [Medline].

  9. Honma M, Murakami M, Iinuma S, et al. Acne fulminans following measles infection. J Dermatol. Aug 2009;36(8):471-3. [Medline].

  10. Zaba R, Schwartz R, Jarmuda S, Czarnecka-Operacz M, Silny W. Acne fulminans: explosive systemic form of acne. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. Oct 3 2010;[Medline].

  11. Williamson DM, Cunliffe WJ, Gatecliff M, Scott DG. Acute ulcerative acne conglobata (acne fulminans) with erythema nodosum. Clin Exp Dermatol. Dec 1977;2(4):351-4. [Medline].

  12. Gordon PM, Farr PM, Milligan A. Acne fulminans and bone lesions may present to other specialties. Pediatr Dermatol. Nov-Dec 1997;14(6):446-8. [Medline].

  13. Allison MA, Dunn CL, Person DA. Acne fulminans treated with isotretinoin and "pulse" corticosteroids. Pediatr Dermatol. Jan-Feb 1997;14(1):39-42. [Medline].

  14. Leyden JJ. The role of isotretinoin in the treatment of acne: personal observations. J Am Acad Dermatol. Aug 1998;39(2 Pt 3):S45-9. [Medline].

  15. Seukeran DC, Cunliffe WJ. The treatment of acne fulminans: a review of 25 cases. Br J Dermatol. Aug 1999;141(2):307-9. [Medline].

  16. Friedlander SF. Effective treatment of acne fulminans-associated granulation tissue with the pulsed dye laser. Pediatr Dermatol. Sep-Oct 1998;15(5):396-8. [Medline].

  17. Champion RH, Burton JL, Burns DA, Breathnach SM, eds. Rook/Wilkinson/Ebling Textbook of Dermatology. 6th ed. Oxford, England: Blackwell Science; 1998:1967-79.

  18. Cunliffe WJ, Gollnick H. Acne fulminans. In: Cunliffe WJ, Gollnick H. Acne. Diagnosis and Management. London, England: Martin Dunitz Ltd; 2001:84-6.

 
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