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Treatment of Cutaneous Calciphylaxis with Sodium Thiosulfate

Two Case Reports and a Review of the Literature

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Abstract

Cutaneous calciphylaxis is a potentially fatal condition characterized by calcium deposition in dermal arterioles and the subsequent development of livedo reticularis, plaques, and extremely painful ulcers. This condition may be present in up to 4% of end-stage renal disease patients. Several treatments, which mainly attempt to control calcium phosphate metabolism, are available for this condition.

We describe two patients treated with sodium thiosulfate with good results. Moreover, we also performed a PubMed literature search of sodium thiosulfate treatment for calciphylaxis. We found 41 cases of which most (>90%) presented a rapid and sustained resolution, indicating this drug is a very good candidate for the treatment of this condition.

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Acknowledgments

No sources of funding were used to prepare this case report. The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this case report.

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Correspondence to Matteo Auriemma.

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Auriemma, M., Carbone, A., Di Liberato, L. et al. Treatment of Cutaneous Calciphylaxis with Sodium Thiosulfate. Am J Clin Dermatol 12, 339–346 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2165/11587060-000000000-00000

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