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    July 08, 2011
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    By Helen Albert
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    Contaminated cocaine use can cause painful, necrotic skin purpura
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    By
    Springer
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    MedWire News: Using cocaine contaminated with the animal de-worming drug levamisole can result in painful, necrotic purple skin lesions and low levels of white blood cells, report US researchers.

    "We've seen a lot of cases in Rochester alone, so it is important to alert the gatekeepers of medicine, the primary care physicians who are in the trenches every day, of this diagnosis," said study author Mary Gail Mercurio from the University of Rochester in New York.

    "This is one of those entities that with familiarity and recognition, can go a long way in helping physicians to quickly make a diagnosis and intervene without embarking on an elaborate workup where nothing will pan out," she said.

    Co-author Noah Craft (University of California, Los Angeles) and colleagues describe a series of six patients with remarkably similar dermatological symptoms after cocaine use, treated in clinics in New York and California over the past few months.

    Symptoms included net-like purple skin discoloration or purpura on the body, which included painful eruptions, skin necrosis, and scabbing, all occurring after cocaine use.

    In addition, all the patients had positive perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody values, a common feature of many autoimmune conditions. Three also had a low white blood cell count (neutropenia), which can significantly increase infection risk.

    The study authors believe that the cause of these symptoms is contamination of the cocaine with levamisole, rather than cocaine use per se, as the symptoms of purpura and neutropenia have been observed before in connection with levamisole-contaminated cocaine use.

    Craft et al explain that levamisole-contaminated cocaine has been in use in the USA since 2003, and resulting toxic reactions have increased dramatically since 2008.

    "When we first started seeing these patients they all had a similar clinical picture, but they were really an enigma because they weren't falling into any other pattern we'd seen before. When a colleague at the National Institutes of Health mentioned levamisole contamination, we did toxicity screens and lo-and-behold, all the patients came up positive for cocaine," said Mercurio.

    She concluded: "We believe these cases of skin reactions and illnesses linked to contaminated cocaine are just the tip of the iceberg in a looming public health problem posed by levamisole."

    The results of this study are published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

    MedWire (http://www.medwire-news.md/ ) is an independent clinical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2011
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    Author: Bello Kamorudeen
    Source: ezinearticles.com

    mesothelioma patients usually have some questions you want answers, if you want to start chemotherapy. These include: 1 What is a chemotherapy treatment for mesothelioma? Chemotherapy with one or more anti-cancer drugs are taken orally in pill form or intravenously, or in the case of pleural mesothelioma, injected directly into the lungs. These drugs inhibit the growth of cancer cells, but also damage healthy cells and the development of the site effects.2. What are the most common side effects of chemotherapy Mesothelioma? Side effects are very often with the use of many chemotherapeutic agents. The most frequent side effects as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, anemia, constipation hemorrhagingChemotherapy caused many complicated side effects within the tumor. It is not uncommon in cases of mesothelioma in secondary tumors that are offshoots of the original cancerous tumor, its growth through the introduction of anti-cancer-drugs.3 have erred, you may have. What are the other risks of chemotherapy? In addition, chemotherapy often increased the possibility of toxic reactions in the blood, liver and kidney, the potentially lethal nature of chemotherapy. Because chemotherapy suppresses the immune system, reducing antibodies in the blood, patients are sensitive to chemotherapy with common infections and diseases. Other complications include inflammation of the oral mucosa, resulting, pleural, in combination with overwhelming nausea and intestinal discomfort from chemotherapy, eating in the absence of results in many patients with a healthy diet.4, pleural, . What can you do if the chemotherapy does not work? If you suffer from mesothelioma and cancer chemotherapy has failed, you should consult with a lawyer in the handling of asbestos-related litigation experience. You have the right to pursue legal action for justice by those who seek wronged. Do not hesitate, for the laws of your country, the amount of time you have to collect on damage limitation, and this can stop your case before it can begin. Today.5 contact a lawyer. And 'well to chemotherapy Mesothelioma? Chemotherapy is not due to cancer in a cure for mesothelioma usually at an advanced stage at diagnosis. newer chemotherapy drugs are very effective in providing symptomatic and used to extend the life of patients especially in combination with other treatment modalities such as surgery and radiotherapy.

    Bello Kamorudeen. For more information on mesothelioma Chemotherapy and mesothelioma visit http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com

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    Drugs can cause side effects and toxic reactions. These reactions can be very characteristic for a particular drug. The ''Adverse Effects Finder'' is designed to help clinicians find these effects peculiar to certain drugs.
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