An unusual case which began with subcutaneous panniculitis followed by fever, severe hepatic involvement and hyperlipidemia.

A 25-year-old man was at first dermatologically suspected as suffering from Weber-Christian syndrome because of subcutaneous panniculitis, but his skin lesions disappeared completely during the course. Hyperlipidemia, disturbances in liver function, and leukemoid reaction became remarkable and he died of subarachnoid hemorrhage eleven months after onset. Necropsy revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage at the base of the brain, lipogranulomatous and inflammatory lesions in the upper lobe of the left lung, a remarkable fatty liver, splenomegaly, pericarditis, and foam cells in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. A comparison with 57 autopsy cases of Weber-Christian syndrome reported in the literature showed our case to be an exceptional instance of Weber-Christian syndrome, if the present case is not to be regarded as a different disease entity.