Alpha 2.0
Login Register
» Articles » PMID: 39474013

Calciphylaxis Mimicking Giant Cell Arteritis: A Case Report

Overview
Journal Case Rep Ophthalmol
Specialty Ophthalmology
Date 2024 Oct 30
PMID 39474013
Authors
Nada Alyousef
Wael A Alsakran
Azza Maktabi
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Introduction: Calciphylaxis is a condition that causes vascular calcification and intimal proliferation with thrombotic occlusion of small-to-medium-sized vessels.

Case Presentation: We describe a case of a 64-year-old woman who presented with a clinical picture that was suggestive of anterior arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy due to giant cell arteritis (GCA), but was found to have calciphylaxis confirmed by histologic examination. When calciphylaxis affects the blood supply to the eye, commonly it causes sudden vision loss, pallid optic disk edema, and a relative afferent pupillary defect, all of which were observed in our patient.

Conclusion: There is no known cure for calciphylaxis, while in GCA, high-dose corticosteroid therapy is essential to prevent involvement of the contralateral eye. As the management approaches for these two diseases are different, it is important to have performed a thorough clinical examination along with detailed histopathological testing to rule out calciphylaxis of the temporal artery in patients suspected to have GCA.

References
1.
Poch E, Almirall J, Alsina M, Del Rio R, Cases A, Revert L . Calciphylaxis in a hemodialysis patient: appearance after parathyroidectomy during a psoriatic flare. Am J Kidney Dis. 1992; 19(3):285-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0272-6386(13)80011-x. View
2.
Mazhar A, Johnson R, Gillen D, Stivelman J, Ryan M, Davis C . Risk factors and mortality associated with calciphylaxis in end-stage renal disease. Kidney Int. 2001; 60(1):324-32. DOI: 10.1046/j.1523-1755.2001.00803.x. View
3.
Nigwekar S, Kroshinsky D, Nazarian R, Goverman J, Malhotra R, Jackson V . Calciphylaxis: risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. Am J Kidney Dis. 2015; 66(1):133-46. PMC: 4696752. DOI: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2015.01.034. View
4.
Mihailescu M, Mehlis S . An unusual case of calciphylaxis in a psoriatic patient without kidney disease. JAAD Case Rep. 2021; 10:41-43. PMC: 7941081. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2021.01.024. View
5.
Duong A, Bhat N, Bindiganavile S, Chevez-Barrios P, Lee A . Calciphylaxis a Giant Cell Arteritis Mimic: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. J Neuroophthalmol. 2022; 42(1):e362-e366. DOI: 10.1097/WNO.0000000000001395. View