Calciphylaxis. A review of 9 cases

Abstract Background and objective Calciphylaxis is a cutaneous ischaemic vascular disease of small vessels with high morbidity and mortality. To date very few series of patients with this disease have been published, none from a Spanish hospital. The main objectives of this work are to analyse the demographic, clinical and histological profile of patients diagnosed in our department to identify risk factors and potential therapeutic strategies. Material and method We made a retrospective study of the cases seen in the dermatology department with a diagnosis of calciphylaxis and who had a confirmatory biopsy in the period between January 2010 to August 2015. Results Nine patients were studied, with an age range of 76–86 years. All had cardiovascular comorbidities and 67% had renal failure. A 33% mortality was observed. Conclusions Faced with a possible diagnosis of calciphylaxis, a complete blood analysis is mandatory to rule out other causes of skin ulcers. The management of these patients should be undertaken by a multidisciplinary team. We emphasize the role of sodium thiosulfate in the treatment of this condition.