Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Sep;43(9):1755-1764.
doi: 10.1007/s00296-023-05362-x. Epub 2023 Jun 14.

Diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia in boys: a case-based review

Agnieszka Wosiak  1 , Małgorzata Biernacka-Zielińska  2 , Justyna Roszkiewicz  2 , Elżbieta Smolewska  2
Affiliations
Review

Diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia in boys: a case-based review

Agnieszka Wosiak et al. Rheumatol Int. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia (EF) is a rare condition classified as a part of the connective tissue disorders. The clinical presentation of this condition can be diverse, however the main symptoms include symmetrical swelling and hardening of distal parts of limbs accompanied by peripheral eosinophilia. The diagnostic criteria are not specified. In inconclusions cases Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and skin to muscle biopsy may be useful. The pathogenesis and ethiology remain unknown, but extensive physical exertion, certain infectious factors, such as Borrelia burgdorferi, or medications may serve as a trigger. EF affects equally women and men, mainly in their middle age, however the disease can occur at any age. The standard therapy contents gluccocorticosteroids. As a second-line treatment, methotrexate is usually chosen. In this article we compare world reports of EF in paediatric patients with the cases of two adolescent male patients recently hospitalized in the Department of Paediatric Rheumatology.

Keywords: Clinical presentation of eosinophilic fasciitis; Diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia; Eosinophilic fasciitis in children; Hypercalcemia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Contracture of the right hand, b swelling of right foot
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Histopathological examination of skin-muscle biopsy (Jozef Kobos, MD, PhD. Department of Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lodz)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Hyperintense signal of fascia of lower limbs showed in MRI (highlighted by arrows)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Muscle atrophy with typical groove sign (highlighted by arrows)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shulman LE. Diffuse fasciitis with eosinophilia: a new syndrome? Trans Assoc Am Physicians. 1975;88:70–86. - PubMed
    1. Mazori DR, Femia AN, Vleugels RA. Eosinophilic fasciitis: an updated review on diagnosis and treatment. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2017;19(12):74. doi: 10.1007/s11926-017-0700-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pinal-Fernandez I, Selva-O' Callaghan A, Grau JM. Diagnosis and classification of eosinophilic fasciitis. Autoimmun Rev. 2014;13(4–5):379–382. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2014.01.019. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Uçkun A, Sipahi T, Akgün D, Oksai A. Eosinophilic fasciitis successfully treated with oral hydroxyzine: a new therapeutic use of an old drug? Eur J Pediatr. 2002;161(2):118–119. doi: 10.1007/s00431-001-0871-y. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rodríguez Bandera AI, Sebaratnam DF, de Lucas LR. Diagnostic ultrasonography in a child with eosinophilic fasciitis. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2019;44(1):85–86. doi: 10.1111/ced.13714. - DOI - PubMed

Supplementary concepts

LinkOut - more resources