Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Pyoderma gangrenosum

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a disease that causes tissue to become necrotic, causing deep ulcers that usually occur on the legs (Jackson and Callen, 2005). When they occur, they can lead to chronic wounds. more...

Home
Diseases
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Arthritis
Arthritis
Bubonic plague
Hypokalemia
Pachydermoperiostosis
Pachygyria
Pacman syndrome
Paget's disease of bone
Paget's disease of the...
Palmoplantar Keratoderma
Pancreas divisum
Pancreatic cancer
Panhypopituitarism
Panic disorder
Panniculitis
Panophobia
Panthophobia
Papilledema
Paraganglioma
Paramyotonia congenita
Paraphilia
Paraplegia
Parapsoriasis
Parasitophobia
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinsonism
Paroxysmal nocturnal...
Patau syndrome
Patent ductus arteriosus
Pathophobia
Patterson...
Pediculosis
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic lipomatosis
Pemphigus
Pemphigus
Pemphigus
Pendred syndrome
Periarteritis nodosa
Perinatal infections
Periodontal disease
Peripartum cardiomyopathy
Peripheral neuropathy
Peritonitis
Periventricular leukomalacia
Pernicious anemia
Perniosis
Persistent sexual arousal...
Pertussis
Pes planus
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
Peyronie disease
Pfeiffer syndrome
Pharmacophobia
Phenylketonuria
Pheochromocytoma
Photosensitive epilepsy
Pica (disorder)
Pickardt syndrome
Pili multigemini
Pilonidal cyst
Pinta
PIRA
Pityriasis lichenoides...
Pityriasis lichenoides et...
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Placental abruption
Pleural effusion
Pleurisy
Pleuritis
Plummer-Vinson syndrome
Pneumoconiosis
Pneumocystis jiroveci...
Pneumocystosis
Pneumonia, eosinophilic
Pneumothorax
POEMS syndrome
Poland syndrome
Poliomyelitis
Polyarteritis nodosa
Polyarthritis
Polychondritis
Polycystic kidney disease
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Polycythemia vera
Polydactyly
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyositis
Polyostotic fibrous...
Pompe's disease
Popliteal pterygium syndrome
Porencephaly
Porphyria
Porphyria cutanea tarda
Portal hypertension
Portal vein thrombosis
Post Polio syndrome
Post-traumatic stress...
Postural hypotension
Potophobia
Poxviridae disease
Prader-Willi syndrome
Precocious puberty
Preeclampsia
Premature aging
Premenstrual dysphoric...
Presbycusis
Primary biliary cirrhosis
Primary ciliary dyskinesia
Primary hyperparathyroidism
Primary lateral sclerosis
Primary progressive aphasia
Primary pulmonary...
Primary sclerosing...
Prinzmetal's variant angina
Proconvertin deficiency,...
Proctitis
Progeria
Progressive external...
Progressive multifocal...
Progressive supranuclear...
Prostatitis
Protein S deficiency
Protein-energy malnutrition
Proteus syndrome
Prune belly syndrome
Pseudocholinesterase...
Pseudogout
Pseudohermaphroditism
Pseudohypoparathyroidism
Pseudomyxoma peritonei
Pseudotumor cerebri
Pseudovaginal...
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum
Psittacosis
Psoriasis
Psychogenic polydipsia
Psychophysiologic Disorders
Pterygium
Ptosis
Pubic lice
Puerperal fever
Pulmonary alveolar...
Pulmonary hypertension
Pulmonary sequestration
Pulmonary valve stenosis
Pulmonic stenosis
Pure red cell aplasia
Purpura
Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch
Purpura, thrombotic...
Pyelonephritis
Pyoderma gangrenosum
Pyomyositis
Pyrexiophobia
Pyrophobia
Pyropoikilocytosis
Pyrosis
Pyruvate kinase deficiency
Uveitis
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Medicines

Ulcers usually initially look like small bug bites or papules, and they progress to larger ulcers (Jackson and Callen, 2005).

Though the wounds rarely lead to death, they can cause pain and scarring (Jackson and Callen, 2005).

The disease was identified in 1930 (Jackson and Callen, 2005).

It affects approximately 1 person in 100,000 in the population (Jackson and Callen, 2005). Though it can affect people of any age, it mostly affects people in their 40's and 50's (Jackson and Callen, 2005).

Types

There are two main types of pyoderma gangrenosum: (Jackson and Callen, 2005)

  • the normal ulcerative form, which occurs in the legs
  • an 'atypical' form that is more superficial and occurs in the hands

Causes

Though the etiology is not well understood, the disease is thought to be due to immune system dysfunction, and particularly improper functioning of neutrophils. At least half of all pyoderma gangrenosum patients also suffer from illnesses that affect their systemic function (Jackson and Callen, 2005). For instance, around 2% of Crohn's disease sufferers have the condition.

Reference

  • Jackson JM and Callen JP. 2005. Emedicine: Pyoderma Gangrenosum.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Peristomal pyoderma gangrenosum
From Nursing, 7/1/01 by Hess, Cathy Thomas

DURING A ROUTINE physician visit, Amy Thompson, 67, reports trouble with her colostomy pouch, which "slides off" and won't adhere to her peristomal skin. She also complains of pain around the stoma. Mrs. Thompson is being cared for at home by her husband. As wound, ostomy, and continence nurse, you prepare to evaluate the pouching system.

When you interview the Thompsons, you learn that her colostomy was created 3 years ago because of ulcerative colitis complications. About 18 months ago, a wound started to develop around the stoma and gradually increased in diameter. At first, Mrs. Thompson was able to get the pouch to adhere with various pastes and powders. But lately, she says, the pouch starts leaking the day after it's applied.

You remove the two-piece drainable pouching system. The stoma is bright red and the mucocutaneous junction is intact. However, the peristomal skin is severely compromised, with a well-- defined, circular, full-thickness wound (see Figure 1). The borders of the wound are irregular. You see no satellite lesions (which would indicate a fungal infection) on the periwound skin.

Remembering Mrs. Thompson's history of ulcerative colitis, you suspect peristomal pyoderma gangrenosum (PPG), an unusual wound that occurs almost exclusively in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Pyoderma gangrenosum, an autoimmune disease characterized by painful ulcers that may communicate with the bowel, also can occur on the abdomen, buttocks, face, and legs, so carefully assess all other lesions. This wound is diagnosed by exclusion: A skin biopsy, for example, can't diagnose pyoderma gangrenosum, but it can rule out other problems.

Managing the peristomal wound and the pouching system can be a challenge when your patient has PPG. Systemic steroid therapy is commonly the first line of defense. Stoma relocation is another option, but because new lesions often develop at the new stoma site, the physician and the Thompsons decide against it.

You manage the pouching system as shown in Figures 2 through 5. Give the Thompsons complete directions and extra supplies and teach them how to use the new pouching system. Also teach Mrs. Thompson to report any signs of PPG promptly if they recur.

BY CATHY THOMAS HESS, RN, CWOCN, BSN

President * Wound Care Strategies, Inc. * Harrisburg, Pa.

Copyright Springhouse Corporation Jul 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

Return to Pyoderma gangrenosum
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay