Diffuse multibacillary leprosy patient with Lucio’s phenomenon and positive anticardiolipin antibody misdiagnosed as lupus erythematosus panniculitis in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

Lucio’s phenomenon (LP) is a special reactional state associated with diffuse multibacillary leprosy; both exhibit a limitative global distribution mainly in Mexico and Central America. We report a case of a 28-year-old female leprosy patient in the People’s Republic of China, together with LP and positive anticardiolipin antibody, characterized by vascular thrombosis and invasion of blood vessel walls by leprosy bacilli, causing extensive skin ulcers and followed by a large number of atrophic scars.