Calcifilaxis: factores de riesgo y hallazgos histológicos en una serie de casos de un hospital terciario / Calciphylaxis: Risk Factors and Histologic Findings in a Case Series From a Tertiary Care Referral Hospital

En los últimos años se han producido importantes avances en el conocimiento de la calcifilaxis, al haberse identificado nuevos factores de riesgo para su desarrollo, y hallazgos histológicos que podrían ser de ayuda al diagnóstico. Nuestro propósito al realizar este estudio ha sido revisar retrospectivamente los casos de calcifilaxis atendidos en nuestro hospital en los últimos 13 años, con especial atención a los aspectos más novedosos de esta patología. Se incluyó un total de 16 pacientes, 62,5% mujeres, con edad media de 67,9 años. Entre los factores asociados destacaron, aparte de la enfermedad renal avanzada (75%), los tratamientos relacionados con el metabolismo fosfocálcico (75%) y la anticoagulación (62,5%), en su mayoría con fármacos antagonistas de la vitamina K. En el estudio histológico se hallaron alteraciones en las fibras elásticas solo en un 25% de las biopsias. Once de los pacientes han fallecido, siendo la sepsis la primera causa de muerte (AU)

Recent years have seen important advances in our understanding of calciphylaxis, especially regarding newly identified risk factors and histologic findings that may aid diagnosis. This retrospective study of cases of calciphylaxis treated in our hospital in the last 13 years focuses on newly revealed aspects of this disease. We describe 16 patients (62.5% women; mean age, 67.9 years). In addition to advanced kidney disease (in 75% of our patients), other factors associated with the presence of calciphylaxis were a history of treatments related to phosphorus and calcium metabolism (75%) and anticoagulation (62.5%), usually with vitamin-K antagonists. Histology showed alterations in elastic fibers in only 25% of the biopsy specimens. Eleven of the patients died: sepsis was most often the cause (AU)

Calciphylaxis: Risk Factors and Histologic Findings in a Case Series From a Tertiary Care Referral Hospital. / Calcifilaxis: factores de riesgo y hallazgos histológicos en una serie de casos de un hospital terciario.

Recent years have seen important advances in our understanding of calciphylaxis, especially regarding newly identified risk factors and histologic findings that may aid diagnosis. This retrospective study of cases of calciphylaxis treated in our hospital in the last 13 years focuses on newly revealed aspects of this disease. We describe 16 patients (62.5% women; mean age, 67.9 years). In addition to advanced kidney disease (in 75% of our patients), other factors associated with the presence of calciphylaxis were a history of treatments related to phosphorus and calcium metabolism (75%) and anticoagulation (62.5%), usually with vitamin-K antagonists. Histology showed alterations in elastic fibers in only 25% of the biopsy specimens. Eleven of the patients died: sepsis was most often the cause.