1. Favorable Response to Infliximab Treatment in a Patient with Active Crohn Disease and Pyoderma Gangrenosum
- Author
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K. Apostolopoulou, John K Triantafillidis, Maria Sklavaina, and P. Cheracakis
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Chemotherapy ,business.industry ,Crohn disease ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Gastroenterology ,medicine.disease ,Inflammatory bowel disease ,Loading dose ,Infliximab ,Surgery ,Regimen ,medicine ,Tumor necrosis factor alpha ,skin and connective tissue diseases ,business ,Pyoderma gangrenosum ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Pyoderma gangrenosum is an extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease requiring meticulous medical and/or surgical treatment. We describe a 46-year-old patient who developed harsh pyoderma gangrenosum during a severe flare-up of the underlying Crohn disease of the terminal ileum. The patient responded favorably to treatment with infliximab--the chimeric antibody against tumor necrosis factor-alpha. The drug was administered intravenously at a dose 5 mg/kg/BW at baseline and weeks 2 and 6. Abdominal signs and symptoms as well as the skin lesions improved markedly before the second infusion. The patient is presently on infliximab maintenance regimen at a dose of 5 mg/kg/BW being administered as a 3 dose loading regimen at 0, 2 and 6 weeks with a treatment-free interval of 10 weeks until the next loading dose. The skin lesions remained in remission. Infliximab is a promising therapeutic modality for patients with Crohn disease and pyoderma gangrenosum.
- Published
- 2002
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