Sweet's syndrome associated with multiple myeloma.

INTRODUCTION: Sweet's syndrome (SS) is an acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis. It may be paraneoplastic in 10 to 20% of cases. Association with multiple myeloma (MM) is uncommon. CASE REPORT: We report on a 73-year-old woman that developed SS 2 months after being diagnosed with IgG MM. Cutaneous lesions improved rapidly after chemotherapy for the MM. No recurrence of SS has taken place during the subsequent 2 years. DISCUSSION: Association of SS with MM has been rarely described in the literature. Only 14 cases of SS with MM have been reported. The secretory status of the MM may influence the occurrence of SS. SS seems to be related to IgG MM. Patients with IgG MM may have more risk of developing SS than those with other secretory types.

The spectrum of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease in Tunisia, North Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical profile of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease in Tunisia, North Africa. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 49 patients diagnosed with VKH disease at the Department of Ophthalmology of Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia, between January 1994 and September 2005. RESULTS: Of all the uveitis cases diagnosed during the study period, VKH disease was the fourth most commonly occurring type (7.4%). Thirty-two patients (65.3%) were female, and 17 patients (34.7%) were male. The mean age at disease onset was 35 years (range: 16-54 years). The majority of patients (51%) had probable VKH disease, followed by incomplete type (47%); only 2% had the complete type. At presentation, 47 patients (96%) had bilateral ocular involvement. Clinical presentation was a panuveitis in 25 patients (51%) and a posterior uveitis in 24 patients (49%). Visual acuity (VA) at presentation ranged from less than 20/200 (40.8%) to more than 20/40 (28.5%). All patients were treated with systemic corticosteroids for 2-19 months (mean: 10.5 months). Four patients (8%) were treated with cyclosporin because of serious systemic side effects of corticosteroids. Complications included cataract in 18 eyes (33.9%), glaucoma in nine eyes (16.96%) and choroidal neovascularization in one eye (1%). Fifty-eight eyes (59%) had a final VA of 20/40 or better. Factors associated with a poor VA at the final follow-up were the presence of a poor VA at presentation (P = 0.02), the occurrence of complications (P = 0.001) and/or recurrences (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: In Tunisia, VKH disease is a common cause of uveitis that predominantly affects young women. The overwhelming majority (98%) have probable or incomplete VKH disease, presenting as panuveitis or posterior uveitis. More than 50% of patients undergoing treatment with corticosteroids will maintain a VA of 20/40 or better.