Erythema multiforme

Clinic

• EM is a skin condition that appears with red patches evolving into target lesions, typically on both hands.

• It is a type of erythema possibly mediated by deposition of immune complexes in the superficial microvasculature of the skin and oral mucous membrane

Causes

• Bacterial ( Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination, haemolytic Streptococci, legionellosis, leprosy, Neisseria meningitidis, Mycobacterium, Pneumococcus, Salmonella species, Staphylococcus species, Mycoplasma pneumoniae(More common), chlamydial.
• Fungal (Coccidioides immitis)
• Parasitic (Trichomonas species, Toxoplasma gondii)
• Viral (HSV-1, HSV-2 in 55% of cases)
• Drug reactions
• Physical factors: radiotherapy, cold, sunlight

Related Diseases

• Collagen diseases
• Vasculitides
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Leukaemia
• Multiple myeloma
• Myeloid metaplasia
• Polycythemia

• Stevens–Johnson syndrome