Erythema nodosum in the Negev area--a survey of 50 patients.

Fifty patients in the Negev area with erythema nodosum (EN) were studied retrospectively. The clinical picture and demographic characteristics did not differ markedly from those in the literature. In contrast to most European studies but like those from Egypt, we found streptococcal pharyngitis to be the major cause of EN. Conspicuously, sarcoidosis is a rare cause of EN in the Negev. The low incidence of EN in the Negev--2 cases/100,000 people per year--as opposed to Europe--14 cases/100,000 people per year--is hardly explained by the low occurrence of sarcoidosis in Israel. Other factors, unknown at present, may account for this low incidence.