Clinical cases
A CASE OF NECROBIOSIS LIPOIDICA IN A NONDIABETIC FEMALE PATIENT

First described in 1929 by Oppenheim in diabetic patients, but later proved to also occur in nondiabetic ones, necrobiosis lipoidica is a chronic granulomatous process leading to both collagen extracellular fat deposition and collagen degeneration. Clinically, it is charachterized by sharply- bordered plaques usually affecting the extensor aspects of the legs; shins are the most typical site. About one third of lesions ulcerate, sometimes leading to large, nonhealing ulcers.
Although intensely researched, the exact etiology of necrobiosis lipoidica remains unclear.
We present the case of a 47 year old female patient that illustrates the evolution and complications of necrobiosis lipoidica in a nondiabetic patient.