Panniculitis: a presenting manifestation of disseminated histoplasmosis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

We report a case of histoplasma panniculitis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with multiple immunosuppressive agents including infliximab. The patient presented with erythematous plaques involving the right upper anterior abdominal wall, the right flank and later extension to involve the left flank and the left axilla. The histopathologic examination of these lesions was consistent with lobular panniculitis and the cultures of these lesions and blood grew Histoplasma capsulatum. The clinical and histopathologic picture of histoplasma panniculitis and rheumatoid arthritis-associated panniculitis can be very similar, but the treatment is clearly different. Our case emphasizes the importance of considering rare manifestations of opportunistic infections in an era of widespread use of immunosuppressive medications in the field of rheumatology.