Livedo reticularis
Livedo reticularis is a common skin finding consisting of a mottled reticulated vascular pattern that appears as a lace-like purplish discoloration of the skin. The discoloration is caused by reduction in blood flow through the arterioles that supply the cutaneous capillaries, resulting in deoxygenated blood showing as blue discoloration. This can be a secondary effect of a condition that increases a person's risk of forming blood clots, including a wide array of pathological and nonpathological conditions. Examples include hyperlipidemia, microvascular hematological or anemia states, nutritional deficiencies, hyper- and autoimmune diseases, and drugs/toxins.
| Livedo reticularis | |
|---|---|
| Livedo reticularis secondary to obscure severe infrarenal aortoiliac stenosis with severe transient lactic acidosis. | |
| Specialty | Dermatology, cardiology |
| Symptoms | Purpura, mottling of the skin, blood clots, skin discoloration |
| Causes | Autoimmune diseases, hyperlipidemia, poisons, drug abuse |
The condition may be normal or related to more severe underlying pathology. Its differential diagnosis is broadly divided into possible blood diseases, autoimmune (rheumatologic), cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and endocrine disorders. It can usually (in 80% of cases) be diagnosed by biopsy.
It may be aggravated by exposure to cold, and occurs most often in the lower extremities.
The condition's name derives from the Latin livere which means bluish, and reticular which refers to the net-like pattern.