[Gastroesophageal reflux and proton pump inhibitors: panacea or prescription abuse?]

Severe adverse reactions caused by omeprazole: A case report

A 61-year-old female patient was admitted to hospital following development of a whole-body rash for 10 days, diarrhea for 7 days, and unconsciousness and oliguria for 1 day. The patient had developed stomach discomfort following the oral administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the exact nature of which was unknown, for the treatment of arthritic pain for >1 month. The patient was then prescribed omeprazole enteric-coated tablets (20 mg twice daily) for treatment of this symptom. However, the patient developed a whole-body rash 7 days after administering omeprazole, 10 days prior to admission. This symptom was followed by severe diarrhea with nausea and vomiting after 10 days, then shock. The shock occurred after administering omeprazole for 16 days. The patient developed a whole body rash 7 days after administering omeprazole, then 3 days later (after administering omeprazole for 10 days) severe diarrhea with nausea and vomiting occurred. The shock remained until administering omeprazole on the 16th day, with severe diarrhea with nausea and vomiting occurring 6 days later. The patient's condition did not improve following treatment for allergies, low blood pressure and oliguria in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) department at Suzhou Municipal Hospital. For further diagnosis and treatment, the patient was admitted to the ICU department of The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College and was given a fluid infusion, antibiotics and phlegm-reducing treatment, a plasma infusion, blood filtration, and anti-diarrheal and anti-allergy treatment. The patient's vital signs were stable, with a normal temperature and hemogram results, and improved kidney function and deflorescence. Genetic screening revealed that the patient poorly metabolized omeprazole. Therefore, severe adverse reactions (allergic shock, rash and diarrhea) experienced by the patient were caused by the accumulation of omeprazole metabolites resulting from its slow metabolism in vivo.

Proton pump inhibitor-induced exfoliative dermatitis: A case report

A 74-year-old female patient was admitted to hospital following a road accident with pains in the chest, abdomen, waist, back, nose, left wrist and lower limbs. After 1 week, the patient presented with gastrointestinal bleeding, and thus was treated with protein pump inhibitors (PPIs), including lansoprazole, esomeprazole and omeprazole enteric-coated tablets, in order to inhibit acid secretion and attenuate bleeding. However, the patient developed skin rashes on the chest and right lower limb and foot 28 days following treatment initiation. The skin rashes spread and ulcerated after 3 days, and were associated with tracheal mucosal injury and hemoptysis. Subsequently, treatment of the patient with PPIs was terminated, after which the tracheal hemoptysis and skin rashes markedly improved. In addition, no new skin rashes appeared following termination of the PPI treatment. In the present case, long-term treatment of an elderly patient with PPIs may have induced exfoliative dermatitis, due to hepatic ischemia, hypoxia and acute renal failure, which may have decreased the metabolism of PPIs, resulting in the accumulation of PPI metabolites.