Causes of livedo reticularis
The primary cause is decreased blood flow to your skin. When this occurs, oxygen-poor blood from tiny blood vessels pools under your skin. Mottled skin can have many other causes, including: Autoimmune and connective tissue disorders Autoimmune and connective tissue disorders that can lead to mottled skin include: Dermatomyositis. Fibromyalgia. Lupus. Rheumatoid arthritis. Sjögren syndrome. Cancer Cancerous growths can cause mottled skin if they disrupt blood flow. They include: Acute lymphocytic leukemia. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Inflammatory breast cancer. Kidney cancer. Multiple myeloma. Mycosis fungoides. End of life Mottled skin before death occurs because circulation is slowing. In this situation, reticula are accompanied by other end-of-life symptoms, including difficulty breathing. Infectious disease Infectious diseases that cause livedo reticularis include: Atypical (walking) pneumonia. Brucellosis. Hepatitis C. Meningococcal disease. Rheumatic fever. Syphilis. Tuberculosis. Medication reactions Mottled skin can be a side effect of certain medications, including: Bismuth. Erythromycin. Gemcitabine. Heparin. Interferon beta-1b. Minocycline. Neurological conditions Conditions affecting peripheral nervous system functioning (nerves outside your brain and spinal cord) can cause livedo reticularis. These include: Complex regional pain syndrome. Multiple sclerosis (MS). Parkinson disease. Susac syndrome. Vascular disorders Many vascular disorders cause mottled skin. Some are due to narrowed blood vessels, others because of blockages. They include: Antiphospholipid syndrome. Antithrombin deficiency. Cryoglobulinemia. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Hyperoxaluria. Polyarteritis nodosa. Polycythemia vera. Protein C deficiency. Protein S deficiency. Temporal arteritis. Thrombocytosis.
