ARDS complicating pustular psoriasis: treatment with low-dose corticosteroids, vitamin C and thiamine

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Abstract

We report the case of a 45-year-old Caucasian woman with a history of psoriasis, admitted to our Medical intensive care unit following the acute onset of diffuse rash and progressive dyspnoea and hypoxaemia requiring escalating respiratory support (continuous positive airway pressure of 10 cm H 2 O). Her chest X-ray was consistent with findings of non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema. Echocardiogram was normal. Dermatology considered her skin lesions to be consistent with psoriasis vulgaris with pustular flare. In the absence of an identifiable cause for her respiratory failure, she was diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to her psoriatic flare. Treatment with cyclosporine was initiated together with low-dose systemic corticosteroids, intravenous vitamin C and thiamine. The patient made a dramatic recovery being weaned to nasal cannulae within 24 hours after the initiation of this treatment protocol and was discharged home a few days later.

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Most cited references 9

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Hydrocortisone and Ascorbic Acid Synergistically Prevent and Repair Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Pulmonary Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction.

Nektarios Barabutis, Vikramjit Khangoora, Paul E Marik … (2017)

Sepsis refers to the dysregulated host immune response elicited by microbial infections resulting in life-threatening organ dysfunction. Sepsis represents a medical challenge, since it is associated with a rate of death as high as 60%. Septic shock is strongly associated with vascular dysfunction and elevated pulmonary capillary permeability. We recently reported that the combination of hydrocortisone (HC), ascorbic acid (vitC), and thiamine dramatically improves outcomes and reduces mortality in patients with sepsis. In the present study, we provide experimental evidence in support of the hypothesis that the combination of HC and vitC enhances endothelial barrier function.

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Generalized pustular psoriasis complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome.

T. Abou-Samra, J-M Constantin, S Amarger … (2004)

Psoriasis has a chronic and relatively benign course. However, severe complications are possible. One rare complication is acute interstitial pneumonitis. This entity should be suspected when a patient presents with dyspnoea and high fever. Knowledge of this pathology is crucial, for although it is essential to rule out aetiologies requiring specific management such as microbial infection or drug-related syndromes, diagnosis should not be delayed as its severe clinical course is improved by corticosteroids. We report two patients with an acute respiratory distress syndrome arising during the course of pustular psoriasis. Repeated bacteriological testing in lungs and blood remained negative. In both cases lung involvement was severe, requiring artificial ventilation. Dramatic clinical resolution was obtained by using corticosteroids. Besides infectious causes and drug hypersensitivity to methotrexate or acitretin, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sometimes due to a pulmonary capillary leak syndrome, is a rare cause of pneumonitis in the course of psoriasis, and may be fatal. Its pathogenesis is unknown. However, animal models suggest a role for T-helper (Th) 1 lymphocytes, known to be activated in psoriasis, and a role for tumour necrosis factor-alpha, a major Th1 cytokine, in alveolar damage.

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Acute respiratory distress syndrome complicating generalized pustular psoriasis (psoriasis-associated aseptic pneumonitis).

Nicolas Kluger, Didier Bessis, Bernard Guillot … (2011)

Generalized pustular and/or erythrodermic psoriasis may have severe or even lethal complications. A peculiar noninfectious acute respiratory distress syndrome (so-called "sterile pneumonitis") has been described in generalized pustular psoriasis and/or erythrodermic psoriasis. We report a new case in a 14-year-old girl with a long history of pustular psoriasis and review the published work on this complication. The girl developed sterile pneumonitis during a disease flare-up, and high-dose corticosteroid therapy was quickly initiated. Within a few days, her clinical and radiological status was dramatically improved. The pathogenesis of aseptic pneumonitis is unknown, but various proinflammatory cytokines have been implicated, especially tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which could play a role in the recruitment of leukocytes to the lung. This complication has rarely been reported but should be more widely known as the differential diagnoses include congestive heart failure, acute lung infection related or unrelated to immunosuppressive therapy, and drug hypersensitivity reaction. Early recognition would avoid delays in the correct management of this potentially lethal complication, which requires high-dose systemic corticosteroid therapy.