D-penicillamine-induced elastosis perforans serpiginosa in a child with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Report of a case and review of the literature.

Elastosis perforans serpiginosa is a rare complication of D-penicillamine therapy. It has been reported to occur in Wilson's disease and cystinuria, usually after many years of high-dose therapy. We report a case of D-penicillamine-induced elastosis perforans serpiginosa with unique clinical features occurring in a 10-year-old child with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis who received only 71 gm of the drug over 9 months. The case is also unusual because of the short course and low cumulative dose of drug received and because of the calcification of elastic fibers. The calcification of elastic fibers suggests that this case may represent an unusual variant of elastosis perforans serpiginosa or an overlap with pseudoxanthoma elasticum. All reported cases of D-penicillamine-induced elastosis perforans serpiginosa are reviewed, and histopathologic and electron microscopic findings are presented. The theoretic mechanisms of action of D-penicillamine on elastic tissue synthesis and morphology are discussed.