[ Usefulness of laboratory investigations for the diagnosis of acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. ].

The authors report a clinical case of acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans in a 65 year old diabetic woman. The characteristic cutaneous lesion restricted to the dorsal aspect of the left hand has been evolved since two years, together with a progressive development of a typical Dupuytren disease. This yielded a contracture of the last 3 phalanges of the same left hand. Confirmatory techniques included the histology of the skin, the reactivity of specific-IgG antibodies showing high avidity and Western blot. Of this, the immunodominant antigens which were extracted from 3 genospecies of Borrelia sensu lato i.e. Bb sensu stricto, Bb garinii, Bb afzelii were compatible with past infection. Apart from the diabetic status which may have predisposed the patient to the development of Dupuytren disease, the authors question about the potential role of Borrelia burgdorferi in the occurrence of this associated disease.