Watch the Fighting Degos Disease video to learn about Ernie DuPont's hard-fought battle against Degos.

What is Degos Disease?

Degos disease is an ultra-rare vascular disease presenting as skin lesions (porcelain plaques) that appear: 

• At first: small, raised, red-rimmed (erythematous, telangiectatic rim) with a white center 
• Over time: flattened and depressed

Degos disease has two forms:

• Cutaneous (skin only) lesions
• Systemic lesions that occur most commonly in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and central nervous system, but also can occur in the brain, pericardium (membrane around the heart), bladder, and eye

Approximately 1/3 of patients eventually progress to systemic disease.

Untreated systemic Degos disease may result in GI perforations, sepsis, damage to the lining around the lungs (pleura), and strokes.

What Does Degos Disease Have to do With Scleroderma?

Potential for overlap with Degos disease can be found in individuals with scleroderma, dermatomyositis, and lupus. Better understanding of Degos disease may lead to improved therapies and greater insight into the vascular aspect of these other disorders.

Degos Disease Research Centers

• Scleroderma Center, Albany Medical Center, Division of Rheumatology, Malta, New York
• Städtisches Klinikum, Dessau, Germany
• National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland

Join the Degos Community

Connect with others affected by Degos disease by visiting the Degos Disease Support Network, a patient-run informational hub.

If you are diagnosed with Degos disease, sign up for our patient registry.