Calciphylaxis- Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Home Remedies

What is Calciphylaxis?

Calciphylaxis is an unusual and uncommon fatal condition which is characterized by necrosis (cellular death) of the skin and fatty tissue. It is mostly affect to the patient in the end stage of kidney disease.

Causes of Calciphylaxis

• The perfect cause of Calciphylaxis is not found yet but there are some reason because of which it can occur.
• Calciphylaxis is related with secondary hyperparathyroidism.
• Various cases are causes due to the setting of chronic renal failure, abnormal calcium-phosphate homeostasis, and hyperparathyroidism.
• Increase phosphate in the blood may cause to the Calciphylaxis.
• Aluminum toxicity, iron dextran infusion may speculatively cause calciphylaxis.
• Some clinical factor such as Renal transplantation, immunosuppressive agents, use of corticosteroid , obesity may also cause to this disease.
• Black painful necrotic areas occur because of the blockage of blood vessels with blood clots and these clots occur due to the calcification under the blood vessel

Symptoms of Calciphylaxis

• Patient may have Calcification of arterioles.
• Blood clots can build up within the blood vessels.
• Lesions may be purple and mottled
• Red papules, plaques, or nodules occurs in this disease.
• Due to the dead skin tissues lesions may look starlike or purplish.
• Some person may expand blisters.
• Some time lesions may be very tender.
• It mainly affects to the part of the body like thighs, buttocks or lower part of the abdomen where fat is more.
• It may develop fluid.

Treatment of Calciphylaxis

• Medical treatment is really needed.
• Glucocorticoids may be useful in the early stage when lesion didn't turn in to ulcer.
• Serum calcium and phosphate should bring in the normal level by dietary changes and calcium and vitamin D supplement should be stop.
• Careful use of antibiotics if area is infected and pain medicine should be given.
• Hyperbaric oxygen is also helpful.
• Adequate anticoagulation is beneficial to the patient who is familiar with hypercoagulability.
• Low-dose tissue plasminogen activator is successful in the treatment of calciphylaxis.
• Tissue plasmogen activator and hyperbaric oxygen treatment is useful treatment for this disease.
• Surgical treatment include use of vacuum-assisted closure device and it is very successful in the treatment of calciphylaxis.
• Parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation is useful but not for all patient.
• Hyperparathyroidism may occur even after surgery.
• Drug like Cinacalcet is prescribed as useful for this disease.

Risk factor include

• Obesity and Diabetes
• Weight loss
• Kidney transplant
• Calcification in blood vessels
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Use of corticosteroids
• Warfarin therapy, an anticoagulant