Pyoderma Gangrenosum

Abstract

The aim of this study was to document the profile of pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) patients who were treated in our clinic and to compare our patients’ clinical and demographic characteristics with those described in the literature to help our understanding of the total burden of PG. A total of 27 (17 women, 10 men) patients with a mean age 48.6 years at diagnosis were included in the study. Seven (25.9%) of them had 3 or more ulcers. The lower extremity was the most common site of occurrence (92.5%). During the study period, 6 patients were admitted twice, and 7 were admitted 3 or more times (range 1 to >10), and the median length of stay was 27 days. A concomitant disease was present in PG patients especially in those between 20 and 40 years of age. Systemic therapy was used in 21 (91.3%) patients, 17 patients were treated with systemic corticosteroids, either alone in 7 patients or combination with other agents in 10 patients. Three of our patients died because of disease or treatment-related complications during the study period. Despite the high (70.3%) percentage of the PG patients with improving disease at the time of discharge, 1 year after hospital discharge, one third of our 27 patients still had PG requiring readmission. In conclusion, none of the current therapies provide satisfying results in all of the patients, and our data indicate a long-standing unmet need for effective therapy for the unexpected course of PG.