Janardan A, Ayoub M, Khan H, Jha P, Dhariwal MS. Mysteriously Puffy Extremities: An Unintended Consequence of Intravenous Drug Abuse.
Cureus 2022;
14:e25453. [PMID:
35774687 PMCID:
PMC9239525 DOI:
10.7759/cureus.25453]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Puffy hand syndrome is a rare manifestation due to continuous intravenous drug abuse. It is a form of lymphedema caused by the sclerosing nature of intravenously administered drugs. It typically presents with bilateral, non-pitting edema at the dorsum of the hands. Proper identification of puffy hand syndrome represents a crucial junction of interest to physicians as the syndrome can be used to recognize a patient’s past or ongoing drug addiction. Here, we present the case of a homeless 27-year-old presenting with erythema and edema in his extremities.
Collapse