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Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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A prodrome of weight loss, malaise, low-grade fever, cough, and arthralgia with or without arthritis may be seen one to three weeks before the onset of the disease (1)

Characteristically the lesions are:

  • painful, palpable, dusky blue nodules or plaques:
    • may vary from 1-10 cm in diameter
    • poorly demarcated
    • most commonly on the shins and calves
    • may spread to the thighs and extensor surfaces of the forearm and the trunk
    • tend to be symmetrical
    • initially the nodules are firm but becomes more fluctuant as the disease progress
  • lesions resolve completely over 1-2 months and may produce to produce an appearance similar to bruising as they fade
  • ulceration of the nodules cannot be seen and usually heal without atrophy or scarring
  • there may be the appearance of new lesions as the old ones resolve

Arthralgia produced during the prodrome period has been known to continue for upto 2 years after the resolution of the disease and may cause nonspecific destructive changes in the joint (1).

Reference:

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