Background: Leukocytoclastic vasculitis associated with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) was observed by Sontheimer et al. in their first clinical series of patients with SCLE, although recent reports have suggested that its frequency was rare.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis (CLV) in patients with SCLE and to describe the clinicopathologic manifestations, response to treatment and prognosis of this subgroup of patients.

Methods: We reviewed all cases of SCLE seen at the Hospital de la Princesa from 1980 to 1995.

Results: Three (9%) of our 27 patients with SCLE exhibited CLV and SCLE. Purpura, maculoerythematous lesions, urticaria, nodules and necrotic lesions on the leg, trunk and palmoplantar regions were present in our patients with CLV and SCLE. Histologically, SCLE-associated CLV was a small-sized vessel leukocytoclastic vasculitis with intravascular thrombosis in the deep dermis and coexistence of lesions of CLV and SCLE.

Conclusions: In our patients, CLV was self-limited and not associated with a worsened prognosis, with only cutaneous involvement in their further relapses of SCLE.