Titre : | Necrosis of ears after use of cocaine probably adulterated with levamisole (2011) |
Auteurs : | I. DE LA HERA ; V. SANZ ; D. CULLEN ; R. CHICO ; G. PETITI ; M. VILLAR ; M. BURGUES ; J. SANZ ; M. CASTELLANOS ; O. ZARCO ; P. L. ORTIZ ; J. L. RODRIGUEZ-PERALTO ; F. VANACLOCHA |
Type de document : | Article : Périodique |
Dans : | Dermatology (Vol.223, n°1, October 2011) |
Article en page(s) : | 25-28 |
Langues: | Anglais |
Discipline : | PAT (Pathologie organique / Organic pathology) |
Mots-clés : |
Thésaurus mots-clés ETUDE DE CAS ; COCAINE ; LEVAMISOLE ; ADULTERANT ; OREILLE ; NECROSE ; THROMBOSE |
Résumé : |
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Levamisole is an anthelminthic drug with immunomodulatory properties that has been found to be an adulterant of cocaine in the last 2 years. It was present at least in 70% of tainted cocaine in the U.S.A. in 2009.
METHODS: We present the case of a 40-year-old patient with a history of weekend cocaine use who consulted for bilateral necrotic lesions in the ears that had appeared 3 days after the last use. RESULTS: Levamisole causes a typical clinical picture characterized by bilateral necrosis of the ears, positive perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and laboratory findings of antiphospholipid syndrome, such as anticardiolipin antibodies and/or lupus anticoagulant. CONCLUSION: Dermatologists should be aware of this new entity, which is likely to be more and more frequent due to the increasing use of cocaine. Here we describe a clinical case that is likely to be secondary to levamisole-tainted cocaine and review the literature. |
Domaine : | Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs |
Sous-type de document : | Etude de cas / Case report |
Refs biblio. : | 19 |
Affiliation : | Department of Dermatology, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain |
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