Papular mucinosis (scleromyxoedema) complicating diffuse systemic sclerosis: Clinical features and electron microscope observations

Papular mucinosis (scleromyxoedema) is an uncommon disorder characterized by generalized papular eruption and cuta neous induration, which may be associated with a variety of extracutaneous manifestations. Although scleroderma and papular mucinosis share many features, they are clinically and histologically distinct entities. We report here a patient with diffuse scleroderma who developed superimposed papular mucinosis. Degranulating mast cells were a prominent ultra- structural finding in the involved skin. The occurrence of scleroderma and papular mucinosis, two uncommon cutaneous indurative diseases, in the same patient has not been described previously.