Cutaneous mastocytosis in a patient with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Abstract

Mast cells have been linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and are essential to the pathogenesis of RA-like disease in a mouse model. We describe a 34-year-old woman who developed Sjögren's syndrome concurrently with telangiectasia macularis eruptiva perstans (TMEP), a rare form of cutaneous mastocytosis. The patient had sicca symptoms with an abnormal minor salivary gland biopsy and decreased salivary flow, peripheral neuropathy, an 80 pound weight loss, and a macular erythematous rash that exhibited superficial perivascular mast cell infiltrates on biopsy of lesional skin. This case further underscores the link between mast cells and the development of autoimmunity.