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Low-density lipoprotein apheresis for corticosteroid-resistant skin lesions caused by cholesterol crystal embolism: a case report and review of the literature

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Abstract

Cholesterol crystal embolism (CCE) is an arterio-arterial embolism originating from the breakdown of atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic wall. The embolism affects the skin and kidney particularly, as well as frequently affects the gastrointestinal tract and other organs. Although there are no clearly effective direct therapies for CCE, corticosteroid therapy and combination therapy with low-density lipoprotein apheresis (LDL-A) followed by corticosteroids were recently reported to be effective for renal manifestations in some cases. However, few cases offer suggestions for the treatment of skin lesions caused by CCE. We report here a case of a 58-year-old man diagnosed with CCE with skin manifestations and kidney dysfunction who achieved complete remission after LDL-A. LDL-A may be a useful treatment for CCE, particularly in cases with skin manifestations.

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Acknowledgments

No financial support was received for implementation of this case report.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi Kami-chou, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan

    Hiroki Kobayashi, Masanori Abe, Yusuke Murata, Takashi Maruyama, Tetsuya Furukawa, Osamu Oikawa & Kazuyoshi Okada

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  1. Hiroki Kobayashi
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  2. Masanori Abe
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  3. Yusuke Murata
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  4. Takashi Maruyama
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  5. Tetsuya Furukawa
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  6. Osamu Oikawa
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  7. Kazuyoshi Okada
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Correspondence to Masanori Abe.

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Kobayashi, H., Abe, M., Murata, Y. et al. Low-density lipoprotein apheresis for corticosteroid-resistant skin lesions caused by cholesterol crystal embolism: a case report and review of the literature. J Artif Organs 18, 285–289 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10047-015-0830-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10047-015-0830-4

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