© 2005 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
ADVERSE DRUG REACTION
Colonic ulcers in propylthiouracil induced vasculitis with secondary antiphospholipid syndrome
1 Department of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil
2 Monte Sinai Hospital, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor P D Gaburri
Department of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Rue São Sebastião 1050/301, Juiz de Fora, Brazil; pgaburri{at}medicina.ufjf.br
A 48 year old white woman was admitted to the hospital because of several bouts of migratory polyarthritis, weight loss, fever, and abdominal pain over a period of 15 months. She had been taking propylthiouracil 100 mg daily for three years for hyperthyroidism treatment. A test for antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) was positive with a perinuclear pattern of staining. Antiphospholipid antibodies were also detected. Colonoscopy showed several ulcers on intestinal mucosa and the biopsy specimen showed intense microscopic vasculitis. The patient is well after methylprednisolone pulse therapy and eight months of oral azathioprine. A surveillance colonoscopy showed complete healing of intestinal ulcers. No recurrence of symptoms has occurred and autoantibodies are negative, 10 months after treatment finished. The sequence of events suggests a propylthiouracil induced vasculitis p-ANCA positive and an antiphospholipid syndrome. This is the first report of colonic ulcers diagnosed and successfully treated in such circumstances.
Abbreviations: ANCA, antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody; PTU, propylthiouracil
Keywords: colon; ulcers; propylthiouracil; antiphospholipid syndrome; vasculitides
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
-
Immunology (including allergy)
-
Surgical diagnostic tests
-
Clinical diagnostic tests
-
Thyroid disease
-
Endoscopy
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
