Abnormal wound healing related to high-dose systemic corticosteroid therapy in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome benign hypermobility Type.

The adverse impact of chronic corticosteroid therapy on wound healing has been well characterized, as has abnormal wound healing known to occur in the classic type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). In contrast, abnormal wound healing is absent in cases of EDS benign hypermobility type (EDS-BHT). We present the case of a patient with EDS-BHT with no history of abnormal wound healing who developed large nonhealing ulcers to sites of minor trauma after initiating therapy with high-dose systemic corticosteroids for dermatomyositis. This case provides a dramatic illustration of the effects of chronic systemic corticosteroids on skin fragility and wound healing in a patient with an underlying genetic defect of the connective tissue.