The arthropathy of fibroblastic rheumatism

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Abstract
Fibroblastic rheumatism (FR) is a relatively rare syndrome characterized by the association of multiple cutaneous nodules with polyarthritis. The unique histologic finding in the skin and synovium of patients with FR is a proliferation of myofibroblast‐like cells within a background matrix of collagen. The occurrence of erosive arthritis has not been emphasized in previous descriptions of FR. We describe a patient with FR who presented with symmetric polyarthritis, skin thickening, and dermal nodules. Despite treatment with prednisone and D‐penicillamine, he developed a progressive, destructive polyarthropathy that mimicked multicentric reticulohistiocytosis.