Drug-induced Sweet’s syndrome after mitoxantrone therapy in a patient with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

We report a 55-year-old male patient with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis who developed an acute febrile syndrome with fever, neutrophilia and tender erythematous plaques and papules on his upper extremities after his fifth mitoxantrone infusion. Infectious, haematological and rheumatological diseases were ruled out, but skin biopsy showed neutrophilic infiltrations in the dermis consistent with Sweet’s syndrome. Treatment with oral corticosteroids led to prompt improvement of systemic and cutaneous symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with Sweet’s syndrome after mitoxantrone therapy. Clinicians should be aware of Sweet’s syndrome in patients with otherwise unexplained acute febrile illness and erythematous skin rash in association with mitoxantrone therapy. Skin biopsy helped to exclude other diseases and confirmed Sweet’s syndrome.