Golfer's Vasulitis (ankle rash)

My wife gets a rash above the sock line on both lower legs after golf.  It is red, raised, and painful.  The internet reveals it may be something called "golfer's vasulitis."  I have a hard time believing it is not related to chemicals used on the course.  Have others experienced this?  Any cures?  Most importantly, does anyone have any tips to prevent it?  (Note: cessation of golf is not an option).

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I'm not a Doctor, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn once... :vava: Do you play in the mornings??? Does hydrocortisone help??? Maybe its a combination of materials in the sock and the chemicals...

I'm not a Doctor, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn once... :vava: Do you play in the mornings??? Does hydrocortisone help???  Maybe its a combination of materials in the sock and the chemicals...

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Thanks for the response.

We thought there may be a correlation to dew or wet grass but it has not been borne out.

It happens in the morning and afternoon.

Hydrocortisone does provide a bit of relief.

I misspelled what the internet has called this. It is vasculitis.

Someone has also called it "Disneyworld Leg" and correlated it to exercise and not contact with allergens. I remain skeptical it is unrelated to chemicals.

 

I'm not a Doctor, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn once... :vava: Do you play in the mornings??? Does hydrocortisone help???  Maybe its a combination of materials in the sock and the chemicals...

14844[/snapback]

 

Thanks for the response.

 

We thought there may be a correlation to dew or wet grass but it has not been borne out.

It happens in the morning and afternoon.

Hydrocortisone does provide a bit of relief.

 

I misspelled what the internet has called this. It is vasculitis.

Someone has also called it "Disneyworld Leg" and correlated it to exercise and not contact with allergens. I remain skeptical it is unrelated to chemicals.

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I can send you an article from a medical journal about it tomorrow, if you still need the info. PM me if you need it.

Here is the abstract:

A number of patients presented with an erythematous, purpuric rash occurring on the legs in association with playing golf and also after prolonged walks or hikes. Many patients believed that it was an allergic reaction to grasses or insecticides and had sometimes undergone extensive allergy testing. We collected reports of 17 such cases from dermatologists in the state of Victoria, Australia. Patients were interviewed by phone and asked to submit photographs of the rash if possible. Of these, the eruption developed in 15 after playing 18 holes of golf and in three following prolonged hikes. The rash would usually develop over the summer months under hot conditions. Most patients were over 50 years of age when the tendency to develop the eruption began. Biopsies of the rash in the active phase showed leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Patch testing and investigations for potential underlying causes for vasculitis were negative or unremarkable. It would seem that this is a common but poorly documented condition. The clinical presentation and histology would support the conclusion that it represents a leukocytoclastic vasculitis induced by prolonged exercise under hot conditions. The findings would suggest that it occurs in healthy people and extensive investigation with blood tests or allergy testing is inappropriate. We believe the condition should be termed 'golfer's vasculitis', as golf appears to be the most common precipitating event and such a term would enable the condition to become more widely recognized.

That's weird. I never heard of this before and a couple of weeks ago I had possibly the same problem just on one leg. I thought I was bit a few times by some bugs, but maybe it was this. This past month I have played golf in some of the hottest conditions in years past. It's more humid than normal.

Anyway, I put Aloe Vera on mine, it was just a small patch. It went away in about 10-14 days.