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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour dermatologist can usually diagnose Sweet's syndrome simply by looking at the lesions. But you're likely to have certain tests to rule out conditions that have similar symptoms and to search for the underlying cause. These tests include:
- Blood tests. A small sample of your blood may be sent to a laboratory where it's checked for an unusually large number of white blood cells and certain blood disorders.
- Tissue sample. Your doctor may remove a small piece of affected tissue (biopsy) for examination under a microscope. The tissue is analyzed to determine whether it has the characteristic abnormalities of Sweet's syndrome. The area where the sample is taken is numbed, and a small piece of skin is removed with an instrument that looks like a small cookie cutter — a procedure called a punch biopsy. You're not likely to need stitches, and the incision should heal without scarring.
References
- Farhi D, et al. The neutrophilic dermatoses. Dermatology Nursing. 2008;20:274.
- Moschella SL. Neutrophilic dermatoses. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html/. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Sweet's syndrome: A dermatologic condition associated with fever and frequently confused with an infectious process. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennet's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00052-7--s0060&uniq=193269557&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&sid=978680989#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00052-7--s0060%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-443-06839-3. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Cohen PR. Sweet's syndrome — A comprehensive review of an acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. 2007;2:34.
- Franks AG Jr. Skin manifestations of internal disease. Medical Clinics of North America. 2009;93:1265.
- Colchicine: Drugdex Evaluations. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed April 5, 2010.
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