ABSTRACT
Background: Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a life-threatening, multi-organ adverse drug reaction with an incidence of 1 in 1000 to 1 in 10 000 high-risk drug exposures. Case Presentation: An elderly female presented to the hospital with progressive weakness and a diffuse erythematous macular rash covering most of her body that started 3 days prior. Over the next 3 days, the patient quickly deteriorated, developing disorientation with acute onset left-sided weakness, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, eosinophilia, liver and kidney failure, and hypoxia. Clinical and histological changes supported the diagnosis of DRESS syndrome caused by intravenous (IV) ampicillin administered during a prior hospitalization for a urinary tract infection. Systemic corticosteroids were initiated quickly thereafter, but the patient ultimately succumbed to complications caused by DRESS syndrome. Conclusion: There are currently no randomized trials evaluating treatments for DRESS, and evidenced-based guidelines are lacking. Viral reactivation has also been suggested as a possible complication of DRESS syndrome, though the true incidence and association remain unclear. Although we started our patient on high-dose IV corticosteroids early in her course, she still succumbed to complications of DRESS syndrome. Further research into the treatment of DRESS syndrome and its association with viral reactivation is essential.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Red Ear Syndrome (RES) is a condition often considered to be a localized form of erythromelalgia. It can be related to structural cervical defects or idiopathic. RES is generally very difficult to treat. Discussion: A 57-year-old male presented to the dermatology clinic complaining of a 4-month history of intermittent redness and severe burning of bilateral ears. On examination, the patient exhibited edematous erythema and tenderness to palpation affecting the right and left ear and right malar cheek. A skin biopsy revealed mild superficial perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate with hypertrophy of endothelial cells. The patient was found to have a normal lab work-up including complete blood count, metabolic panel, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anti-nuclear antibody and type II collagen antibody. A diagnosis of Red Ear Syndrome was made. After failing multiple medications over several months, the patient was started on aspirin and paroxetine which was gradually titrated until he was completely asymptomatic. To date, there is only one other case presentation illustrating the effectiveness of this treatment regimen. Conclusion: There are a limited number of cases describing idiopathic RES with inconsistent results in treatment. With a relatively small number of cases reported, further research is needed into the pathophysiology of RES along with the dual therapy of aspirin and paroxetine in patients that suffer from both primary and secondary RES.
