[Erythermalgia and systemic lupus erythematosus].

We report three cases of erythermalgia associated with systemic lupus erythematosus corresponding to different clinical situations in such an association. The first patient developed erythermalgia during the course of systemic lupus erythematosus. In the second, erythermalgia preceded other symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus by four years. In the third, erythromelalgia was not related to a flare-up of systemic lupus erythematosus, but to thrombocythemia, a complication of immunosuppressive therapy. These cases permit a discussion on terminology and classification of erythromelalgia and erythermalgia. However, more than terminology or classification into three types or into adult-onset and early-onset (childhood) erythromelalgia, the important is to consider primary and secondary forms. We used a classification into two types: primary (or erythermalgia) with subdivision into sporadic and familial subtypes, and secondary with subdivision into erythermalgia related to myeloproliferative disorders and erythermalgia related to other diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, or to drugs (erythermalgia-like syndrome).