[Thrombopenia as the presenting symptom of acute disseminated lupus erythematosus: Moschcowitz's disease].

Possible relationships between Moschcowitz's disease and acute systemic lupus erythematosus are analyzed based on findings in one case. Initial exclusively buccal symptoms suggested a diagnosis of lupus, and then of Moschcowitz's disease leading to a fatal outcome. The main points discussed relate to diagnostic difficulties to enable distinction between the two diseases. A thrombotic thrombopenic purpura during the second phase of the disease showed a characteristic microangiopathy associated with a non-autoimmune hemolytic anemia and a schizocytosis: two forms of the affection are recognized, one with a chronic and one with an acute course. The latter, which has a fulminating progression leading to death, was that described in the case reported.