Disseminated necrotic suppurative ulcers as a manifestation of cocaine abuse

Autor: Álex García Tellado, Carmen Lasa Teja, María Rodríguez Vidriales, Mercedes De la Fuente Vázquez, Patricia Marín Oliván, Francisco Arnaiz Las Revillas Almajano
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2284-2594
DOI: 10.12890/2023_003878
Popis: Introduction/Aims/Background: Pyoderma gangrenosum is an immune-mediated illness that can be caused by several affections, such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and drug use. We present a rare case of pyoderma gangrenosum induced by levamisole-adulterated cocaine. There have been few cases of this disease reported in the world. Levamisole is an anthelmintic drug used to adulterate cocaine to boost its effect. It also has immune-modulating effects causing, among others, vasculitis and dermatological problems. Materials and Methods: Clinical case of a 46-year-old man admitted to the hospital University Marqués de Valdecilla in Santander, Spain, in August 2022. We diagnosed pyoderma gangrenosum based on clinical, analytical, and histological parameters. Results: We report a case of pyoderma gangrenosum induced by consumption of levamisole-adulterated cocaine. Discussion: This patient suffered from a rare and extensive immune-mediated affection with characteristic primary lesions in the form of suppurative ulcers that responded to immunosuppressive treatment. Behind pyoderma gangrenosum there may be underlying conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, or pyoderma gangrenosum may be secondary to identifiable causes such as cocaine use as in this patient.
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