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Sterile Nodular/Granulomatous Dermatoses in Cats

Sterile nodular/granulomatous dermatoses are diseases in which the primary lesions or masses of tissue, are solid, elevated, and greater than one centimeter in diameter. These nodules are usually the result of an infiltration of inflammatory cells into the skin and be a reaction to interal or external stimuli.

Symptoms and Types

• Nodular dermatofibrosis
• Calcinosis circumscripta
• Malignant histiocytosis

Causes

• Amyloidosis (a waxy protein deposit, or amyloid, in the body)
• Reaction to foreign body
• Spherulocytosis (disease of red blood cells)
• Idiopathic sterile granuloma and pyogranuloma
• Calcinosis circumscripta (skin stones, similar to calcinosis cutis)
• Malignant histiocytosis (abnormally spreading immune-type cells)
• Cutaneous histiocytosis (immune-type cells spreading to skin)
• Sterile panniculitis (inflammation of the skin)
• Nodular dermatofibrosis (bumps filled with excess elastic skin material which accompanies kidney disease)
• Cutaneous xanthoma (a benign skin problem, involving immune cell infiltration usually accompanies hyperlipoproteinemia or diabetes mellitus)

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam on your cat, with a blood chemical profile, a complete blood count, an electrolyte panel and a urinalysis. You will need to provide a thorough history of your cat's health leading up to the onset of symptoms.

The physical exam should include a dermatologic exam, during which skin biopsies for histopathology can be taken to determine if structural changes have occurred in the tissue. Skin scrapings will also be examined microscopically and cultured for bacteria, mycobacteria and fungi.