The SAPHO syndrome in a 16-year-old boy: coincidence of acne conglobata and osteoarthritis.

A 16-year-old boy developed arthritis and osteitis (anterior thoracic wall, ankle of left foot, spinal column) within 5 weeks of an exacerbation of acne. Both the local skin condition and the locomotory system improved after treatment, but sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis persisted. The syndrome of acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis (SAPHO syndrome) identified in 1987, represents an entity usually classified as one of the seronegative spondylarthrites close to ankylosing spondylarthritis and psoriatic arthritis.