Nicolau syndrome caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Systematic literature review

AIM

Intramuscular or, more rarely, local drug injection is occasionally followed by immediate local pain, livedoid skin lesions and, some days later, the development of ischemic lesions. This very uncommon but potentially severe reaction, termed Nicolau syndrome, is traditionally associated with bismuth and β-lactam antimicrobials. The aim of this report was to review the literature associating Nicolau syndrome with the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

METHODS

The National Library, Excerpta Medica, Web of Science and Cochrane library databases were used.

RESULTS

Sixty-two cases (40 females and 22 males aged from 13 to 81, median 57 years) of Nicolau syndrome were published after 1992. Fifty-three cases occurred after diclofenac. The remaining nine cases were associated with ketoprofen (N = 2), ketorolac (N = 2), phenylbutazone (N = 2), etofenamate (N = 1), ibuprofen (N = 1) and piroxicam (N = 1).

CONCLUSION

Although Nicolau syndrome is extremely uncommon, physicians must be aware of this complication after intramuscular administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and should avoid unnecessary injections.

Mucosal Respiratory Syndrome: A Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Mycoplasma pneumoniae atypical pneumonia is frequently associated with erythema multiforme. Occasionally, a mycoplasma infection does not trigger any cutaneous but exclusively mucosal lesions. The term mucosal respiratory syndrome is employed to denote the latter condition. Available reviews do not address the possible association of mucosal respiratory syndrome with further atypical bacterial pathogens such as Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Chlamydophila psittaci, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, or Legionella species. We therefore performed a systematic review of the literature addressing this issue in the National Library of Medicine, Excerpta Medica, and Web of Science databases.

SUMMARY

We found 63 patients (≤18 years, n = 36; >18 years, n = 27; 54 males and 9 females) affected by a mucosal respiratory syndrome. Fifty-three cases were temporally associated with a M. pneumoniae and 5 with a C. pneumoniae infection. No cases temporally associated with C. psittaci, C. burnetii, F. tularensis, or Legionella species infection were found. Two cases were temporally associated with Epstein-Barr virus or influenzavirus B, respectively.

Skin and Mucous Membrane Eruptions Associated with Chlamydophila Pneumoniae Respiratory Infections: Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is sometimes associated with skin or mucous membrane eruptions. Available reviews do not address the association of Chlamydophila pneumoniae pneumonia with skin eruptions. We therefore conducted a systematic review of the literature addressing this issue. The National Library of Medicine, Excerpta Medica, and Web of Science databases were employed.

SUMMARY

In two reports, skin lesions and especially urticaria were more common (p < 0.05) in atypical pneumonia caused by C. pneumoniae as compared with M. pneumoniae. We found 47 patients (<18 years, n = 16; ≥18 years, n = 31) affected by a C. pneumoniae atypical pneumonia, which was associated with erythema nodosum, erythema multiforme minus, erythema multiforme majus, isolated mucositis, or cutaneous vasculitis. We also found the case of a boy with C. pneumoniae pneumonia and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis. We did not find any case of C. pneumoniae respiratory infection associated with either Gianotti-Crosti syndrome, pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta Mucha-Habermann, or varicella-like skin eruptions.