DEAR DR. GOTT: I have an open wound on my leg that my surgeon thought was an infection. After eight surgeries, I was eventually diagnosed (by a dermatologist) with a rare immune-system disorder called pyoderma gangrenosum. I still have the open wound after two years. It is healing very slowly. Please tell me what you know about this condition.

DEAR READER: Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare skin condition that causes slow-healing, painful ulcers to form, typically on the legs. The cause is not currently known but is thought to be an abnormal immune response. About half of all sufferers have an underlying immune disorder. Health conditions that may be related include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, vasculitis, leukemia, sarcoidosis, hepatitis and, particularly, inflammatory-bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
[Read more...]