To use all functions of this page, please activate cookies in your browser.
my.bionity.com
With an accout for my.bionity.com you can always see everything at a glance – and you can configure your own website and individual newsletter.
- My watch list
- My saved searches
- My saved topics
- My newsletter
Calciphylaxis
Calciphylaxis is a syndrome of vascular calcification and skin necrosis. It is seen almost exclusively in patients with end stage renal disease. It results in chronic non-healing wounds and requires parathyroidectomy and hyperbaric therapy. Calciphylaxis is a rare but serious disease. Calciphylaxis is one type of extraskeletal calcification. Similar extraskeletal calcifications are observed in some patients with hypercalcaemic states, including patients with milk alkali syndrome, sarcoidosis, primary hyperparathyroidism, and hypervitaminosis D. Additional recommended knowledge
SymptomsCalciphylaxis is characterised by
CauseThe cause is not known. It does not seem to be an immune type reaction. In other words, calciphylaxis is not only a hypersensitivity reaction (= allergic reaction) leading to sudden local calcification. Clearly, additional factors are involved in calciphylaxis. It possibly could be described as calcific uraemic arteriolopathy. Who is affected?Calciphylaxis most commonly occurs in patients with end-stage renal disease who are on haemodialysis or who have recently received a renal transplant (= kidney transplant). Yet, calciphylaxis does not occur only in end-stage renal disease patients. It also has been reported in patients with breast cancer (treated with chemotherapy), liver cirrhosis (due to alcohol abuse), cholangiocarcinoma, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (including SLE patients with or without chronic renal disease). DiagnosisThere is no diagnostic test for calciphylaxis. The diagnosis is a clinical one. The characteristic lesions are the ischaemic skin lesions (usually with areas of skin necrosis). The necrotic skin lesions (ie, the dying or already dead skin areas) typically appear as violaceous (dark bluish purple) lesions and/or completely black leathery lesions. They can be extensive. The suspected diagnosis can be confirmed by a skin biopsy. It shows arterial calcification and occlusion in the absence of vasculitis. Sometimes the bone scintigraphy can show increased tracer accumulation in the soft tissues.[1] TreatmentThe optimal treatment is prevention. Rigorous and continuous control of phosphate and calcium balance most probably will avoid the metabolic changes which may lead to calciphylaxis. There is no specific treatment. Of the treatments that exist, none is internationally recognised as the standard of care. An acceptable treatment could include:
Response to treatmentUnfortunately, response to treatment is not guaranteed. Also, the necrotic skin areas may get infected, and this then may lead to sepsis (ie, infection of blood with bacteria; sepsis can be life-threatening) in some patients. Overall, the clinical prognosis remains poor. Who to contact?The correct person to ask questions about calciphylaxis is a nephrology fellow or a professor of nephrology. Heart of stoneSevere forms of calciphylaxis may cause diastolic heart failure from cardiac calcification, called heart of stone.[2] References
Categories: Dermatology | Nephrology |
||||||||
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Calciphylaxis". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |