[Eye involvement in circumscript scleroderma--manifestation of borreliosis?].

BACKGROUND: The circumscript cutaneous sclerosis is an inflammato-edematous erythema of the skin, usually leading to a plaque-like sclerosis and cutaneous atrophy. The etiology of this disease remains unknown, but some authors presume a systemic infection with Borrelia burgdorferi as the underlying pathological condition.

PATIENT: We present a case of a 66-year-old male patient who suffered from episcleritis of his left eye. Funduscopy showed an unilateral papillary edema. Visual acuity was 1.0. The patient had multiple erythemata of the skin of the body-trunk and the arms. On histological examination the lesions were compatible with circumscript sclerosis. Neurological examination was normal. Brain imaging (MRI), CSF examination and serology showed no pathological findings, although the patient presented with raised antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi (IgG positive, IGM negative). Intravenous antibiotic treatment and topical steroids for three weeks resulted in a complete recovery of the scleritis, but had no effect on the papillary edema.

CONCLUSION: Inflammatory pathological findings of the eye can be associated with circumscript sclerosis, a disease, that is normally limited to the skin. The pathological mechanism remains unclear. The presumption of an underlying borreliosis could not be confirmed in this case.