WEBER-CHRISTIAN DISEASE

Overview and Facts

Weber-Christian Disease is a rare panniculitis-type of disease known for targeting females aged 30 to 60 years old. It affects the skin of the patient by inflammation of the fatty tissues inside one’s body. It can commonly be found on the legs and thighs of females, due to having more fat in those areas of the body.

However, other areas in the body can be affected as well, and this disease can also be contracted by males but rarely. It can also be contracted by infants and by both genders, but these are also quite rare.

Sadly, treatment for this disease is hard and leaves scarring on the affected area of an affected patient. Furthermore, studies show that the cause of this disease has not yet been identified.

Types and Symptoms

TYPES

There are no subtypes of the Weber-Christian Disease; however, it is categorized as a panniculitis-type of disease, which means that it involves subcutaneous adipose tissues, which are mostly inflamed. 

SYMPTOMS

When a patient is infected with this disease, the skin will be the first one to show symptoms, which mostly consist of inflammation in an affected area that results in dead skin that secretes yellow pus due to loss of blood supply, and becomes infected. There are also other accompanying symptoms, which are listed below:

  • Fever
  • Malaise
  • Skin lumps
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Weight loss
  • Joint pain

Aside from those symptoms, the internal organs will also be affected by inflammation, such as the heart, lung, kidney, liver, and spleens. A patient might also feel abdominal pain if his/her liver was infected by inflammation. The symptoms are recurring for this disease, and infected patients may experience relapses.

Diagnosis & Medications

DIAGNOSIS

Since it mostly affects the patient’s skin, the collection of tissue for biopsy would be made for diagnosis. Aside from that, below are the other steps taken for diagnosis:

  • Basic laboratory tests
  • Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) tests
  • White Blood Cell (WBC) count via Completed Blood Count (CBC) tests
  • Serum and Urine Amylase and Lipase tests

TREATMENT

The treatment of this disease depends highly on the affected organs and the severity of the disease. Patients can either have mild symptoms or fatal symptoms due to its complications. 

Unfortunately, there is no permanent cure for this disease, but there are several treatment methods to negate its effects. There are also medications available for combating this disease, which are listed below:

  • Chloroquine
  • Thalidomide
  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Tetracycline
  • Cyclosporine
  • Azathioprine
  • Prednisone
  • Ibuprofen
  • Indomethacin
  • Other oral pain medications
  • Topical salves

Lastly, anti-inflammatory medications are usually given to patients to combat inflammation of the organs. However, those therapies might not entirely be useful, and it will still depend on the patient’s case.

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