A case of probable trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole induced circulating antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive small vessel vasculitis.

Cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) can occur as skin-limited disease or as part a systemic vasculitis. Appropriate workup includes the evaluation of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs), with a positive titer raising concern for the associated primary vasculitides including microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), or eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). In the absence of systemic findings, however, a drug etiology must also be considered. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, propylthiouracil, levamisole-adulterated cocaine, hydralazine, and minocycline have been previously documented to induce ANCA-positive vasculitis (APV), which may present with conspicuously high ANCA titers. Herein we report trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as another culprit in drug-induced APV. Our case reinforces the need to consider drug etiology for APV and cautions against interpreting positive ANCAs as equivalent to evidence of systemic disease.

[1]  J. Sweeney,et al.  Sulfamethoxazole‐induced thrombocytopenia masquerading as posttransfusion purpura: a case report , 2015, Transfusion.

[2]  R. Grau Drug-Induced Vasculitis: New Insights and a Changing Lineup of Suspects , 2015, Current Rheumatology Reports.

[3]  J. Niles,et al.  Trojan horses: drug culprits associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA) vasculitis , 2014, Current opinion in rheumatology.

[4]  J. Silverberg,et al.  Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome secondary to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. , 2012, Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD.

[5]  K. Tsiveriotis,et al.  Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies Testing in a Large Cohort of Unselected Greek Patients , 2011, Autoimmune diseases.

[6]  A. Wiik Drug-induced vasculitis , 2008, Current opinion in rheumatology.

[7]  J. Callen,et al.  Tissue eosinophilia as an indicator of drug-induced cutaneous small-vessel vasculitis. , 2006, Archives of dermatology.

[8]  P. Merkel,et al.  Drug-associated antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive vasculitis: prevalence among patients with high titers of antimyeloperoxidase antibodies. , 2000, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[9]  R. Falk,et al.  Diagnostic predictive value of ANCA serology. , 1998, Kidney international.

[10]  D A Bloch,et al.  The American College of Rheumatology 1990 criteria for the classification of vasculitis. Patients and methods. , 2010, Arthritis and rheumatism.

[11]  F. Mullick,et al.  Drug related vasculitis. Clinicopathologic correlations in 30 patients. , 1979, Human pathology.