Paediatric Sweet's syndrome with pulmonary involvement triggered by severe inflammatory bowel disease and emergent total abdominal colectomy with literature review

Abstract

Abstract Sweet's syndrome (SS) is a neutrophilic dermatosis characterised by the acute onset of erythematous papules or plaques and a constellation of symptoms including fever, leucocytosis, and histopathology demonstrating nodular, pustular, or diffuse infiltrate of neutrophils with marked papillary oedema. SS can be a manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease and often coincides with periods of disease flares. Only a few cases of SS associated with ulcerative colitis are reported in the literature, and no cases have involved pulmonary manifestations in the paediatric population. We present a case of a 14‐year‐old girl presenting with new onset ulcerative colitis requiring emergent colectomy with subsequent development of pulmonary SS. Treatment consisted of intravenous and oral corticosteroids and dapsone. SS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of prolonged fever with cutaneous involvement and systemic symptoms. Special consideration should be given to paediatric patients with extracutaneous manifestations, particularly pulmonary involvement.