Subject(s)
Oxazines/metabolism , Benzoxazines , Biotransformation , Humans , Kinetics , Male , Oxazines/analogs & derivatives , Salicylates/metabolismABSTRACT
A 25-year-old woman had systemic lupus erythematosus manifested primarily by severe cutaneous vasculitis that was unresponsive to oral prednisone and azathioprine. She was treated with thoracic duct drainage (TDD). Her course was followed by serial photographs, skin biopsies, and serum immunoglobulin, antinuclear antibody, and complement levels. After 1 week of drainage there was obvious clinical improvement. During the remainder of her drainage, the vasculitis continued to improve. It was possible to taper oral corticosteroids and to discontinue azathioprine during TDD without any clinical or laboratory evidence of exacerbation. The patient had no recurrence of vasculitis 22 weeks after the termination of TDD.
Subject(s)
Drainage , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/therapy , Skin Diseases/etiology , Thoracic Duct , Vascular Diseases/etiology , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use , Adult , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulins/analysis , Inflammation , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/immunology , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/pathology , Remission, Spontaneous , Skin Diseases/pathology , Vascular Diseases/pathologyABSTRACT
Four patients with pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis were recently treated with oxygen via a close-fitting mask. They responded initially to this therapy, with cessation of all symptoms and, after seven days of treatment, with return of proctoscopic and barium-contrast roentgenographic findings in the colon to normal. However, the disease recurred in one of the four patients after six months. There is a potential hazard of toxic effects from oxygen, and this may be detected by frequent measurement of pulmonary vital capacity. Our experience corroborates the efficacy of oxygen therapy in the treatment of this disorder but we question its long-term effectiveness in all cases.