Calcific arteriolopathy

Definition

Calcific arteriolopathy (calciphylaxis) is a life-threatening vasculopathic disorder characterised by painful cutaneous ischaemia and infarction due to calcification, intimal fibroplasia, and thrombosis of subcutaneous arterioles. It is most commonly associated with end-stage kidney disease or renal transplantation, particularly in the context of longstanding diabetes mellitus. Affected skin, commonly on the hips and thighs, appears mottled, grey and devitalized before progressing to full thickness infarction and deep ulceration. These changes may be accompanied by indurated subcutaneous plaques indicating an underlying calcifying panniculitis. The condition may be but is not always associated with hyperparathyroidism or an elevated calcium-phosphate product.

Inclusions

• Calciphylaxis

Index Terms