Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus successfully treated with rituximab

Abstract

Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus (BSLE) is a rare complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) characterized by cutaneous vesicles and bullae with a primarily neutrophilic infiltrate on histopathology. Bullous SLE is a heterogeneous disease without pathognomonic clinical features, making the diagnosis and differentiation from other blistering diseases challenging. We present the case of a single patient with SLE in whom 3 different clinical appearances of BSLE manifested over 5 years. The cutaneous eruption dramatically improved with rituximab at the initial presentation and continued to respond to rituximab during subsequent flares over the subsequent 5 years.