Degos Disease

Degos Disease or Malignant Atrophic Papulosis is a disease that affects the blood vessels in only small and medium veins. The blood vessels will swell and at this time will restrict blood flow. The blood flow restriction starts to create lesions on top of the skin. The lesions start out like hives red and raised off the affected area. However than the interior of the lesion turns white and dries out. This area can because itchy or painful.

The Degos disease is an extremely rare sickness. Really only researched seriously overseas in Germany and England. Since 1941 only a little over a hundred cases have been written on. This disease can never go past the lesion stage where it may be annoying and unpleasant however never dangerous. However that is not always the case. The lesions usually are found in the eyes or the stomach area where these blood vessels reside the most however they can be everywhere, even on an affected patients feet.

Degos usually starts to show around age 20 not earlier and can keep quiet until someone's 50's. This disease can affect many members of the same household which would imply genetics but they have yet to determine this. Up until this point presently they have not been able to decide what caused Degos Disease within a person. They believe if genetic it is a recessive gene because it does not affect every family member and can skip generations. Unfortunately as of right now they don't even have a highly successful test that would tell someone if they have this disease. Only once the lesions show can the determination be made.

The most dangerous symptoms of this disease are that you can go blind due to the lesions that can occur in your eyes, and serious blood clotting can appear as well. Once the disease progresses it can start attacking the central nervous system, intestines, and internal organs. Many people that have made it to this stage of the disease find themselves permanently residing in a hospital or in home care environment, because of the need for 24 hour watch. A person affected by this illness can go years with just the surface skin issues and than die within a few months of the disease turning on their internal systems. Symptoms that may not show outwardly to be aware of with Degos disease are intestinal pain, digestion concerns, headaches, and even meningitis symptoms.

Doctors are now thinking that there could be two forms of this disease, the first being the one that only ever affects the skin, and the second is the one that can destroy in internal nervous system. However currently there are just too few cases to be able to tell successfully.

Unfortunately there are no proven treatments that work with this illness. Some steroid therapies have proven to slow down the progression but cannot stop the system from eventually shutting down. The fewer symptoms the easier to treat. The most severe cases have not shown any improvement and eventually have grave consequences. Doctors believe the more people that come forward acknowledging this disease the more hope there will be for a cure.