Cutaneous Necrotizing Vasculitis and Leukopenia in a Cocaine User: Is Levamisole the Culprit?
Levamisole is an antihelminthic drug banned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 because of its dangerous side effects. Over the past few years, it has been identified as an adulterant in cocaine and reported to cause cutaneous vasculitis in cocaine users. The health burden of levami...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Rheumatology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2685267 |
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| author | Lara El Khoury Nabil Zeineddine Richard Felix Mark Goldstein |
| author_facet | Lara El Khoury Nabil Zeineddine Richard Felix Mark Goldstein |
| author_sort | Lara El Khoury |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Levamisole is an antihelminthic drug banned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 because of its dangerous side effects. Over the past few years, it has been identified as an adulterant in cocaine and reported to cause cutaneous vasculitis in cocaine users. The health burden of levamisole is serious since it is estimated that over 5 million Americans use cocaine and that 70% of the cocaine used in the USA contains levamisole. In this paper we report the case of a 23-year-old female cocaine user that presented with purpuric rash and skin necrosis, found to have positive c-ANCA and anti-proteinase 3 antibodies. Her skin biopsy showed fibroconnective tissue with signs of necrosis, acute and chronic inflammation, and thrombus formation. She was diagnosed with levamisole-induced vasculitis and successfully treated with withdrawal of cocaine use and local wound care. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6bdc67e0f3cf4f449cb9a37f87e32bd8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-6889 2090-6897 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Rheumatology |
| spelling | doaj-art-6bdc67e0f3cf4f449cb9a37f87e32bd82025-02-03T01:11:18ZengWileyCase Reports in Rheumatology2090-68892090-68972016-01-01201610.1155/2016/26852672685267Cutaneous Necrotizing Vasculitis and Leukopenia in a Cocaine User: Is Levamisole the Culprit?Lara El Khoury0Nabil Zeineddine1Richard Felix2Mark Goldstein3Internal Medicine Department, Staten Island University Hospital, 475 Seaview Avenue, Staten Island, New York, NY 10305, USAInternal Medicine Department, Staten Island University Hospital, 475 Seaview Avenue, Staten Island, New York, NY 10305, USAPathology Department, Staten Island University Hospital, 475 Seaview Avenue, Staten Island, New York, NY 10305, USARheumatology Department, Staten Island University Hospital, 475 Seaview Avenue, Staten Island, New York, NY 10305, USALevamisole is an antihelminthic drug banned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 because of its dangerous side effects. Over the past few years, it has been identified as an adulterant in cocaine and reported to cause cutaneous vasculitis in cocaine users. The health burden of levamisole is serious since it is estimated that over 5 million Americans use cocaine and that 70% of the cocaine used in the USA contains levamisole. In this paper we report the case of a 23-year-old female cocaine user that presented with purpuric rash and skin necrosis, found to have positive c-ANCA and anti-proteinase 3 antibodies. Her skin biopsy showed fibroconnective tissue with signs of necrosis, acute and chronic inflammation, and thrombus formation. She was diagnosed with levamisole-induced vasculitis and successfully treated with withdrawal of cocaine use and local wound care.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2685267 |
| spellingShingle | Lara El Khoury Nabil Zeineddine Richard Felix Mark Goldstein Cutaneous Necrotizing Vasculitis and Leukopenia in a Cocaine User: Is Levamisole the Culprit? Case Reports in Rheumatology |
| title | Cutaneous Necrotizing Vasculitis and Leukopenia in a Cocaine User: Is Levamisole the Culprit? |
| title_full | Cutaneous Necrotizing Vasculitis and Leukopenia in a Cocaine User: Is Levamisole the Culprit? |
| title_fullStr | Cutaneous Necrotizing Vasculitis and Leukopenia in a Cocaine User: Is Levamisole the Culprit? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cutaneous Necrotizing Vasculitis and Leukopenia in a Cocaine User: Is Levamisole the Culprit? |
| title_short | Cutaneous Necrotizing Vasculitis and Leukopenia in a Cocaine User: Is Levamisole the Culprit? |
| title_sort | cutaneous necrotizing vasculitis and leukopenia in a cocaine user is levamisole the culprit |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2685267 |
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