Scleredema in a Child

A rare case of scleredema in a six year old female child is presented. The relevant literature regarding clinical presentation, differential diagnosis and treatment of disease is being reviewed Scleredema (scleredema of Buschke, scleredema adultorum) is a rare connective tissue disorder. The onset is sudden with non-pitting induration of skin with occasional erythema involving face, neck, thorax and arms in sweater distribution. It usually spares the hand and feet. Systemic involvement which is uncommon may be marked by thickening of tongue, dysarthria, dysphagia, restriction of eye and joint movements, pleural, pericardial and peritoneal effusions (1 - 3). The disorder usually follows streptococcal infections, influenza, measles and mumps (1 -7). The condition must be differentiated from dermatomyositis, and scleroderma as both the conditions are progressive and carry poor prognosis as compared to scleredema.