Patient: Male, 63Final Diagnosis: DRESS syndromeSymptoms: Diarrhea • fever • rash • shortness of breathMedication: FurosemideClinical Procedure: Skin biopsySpecialty: Internal Medicine • Family MedicineObjective:Rare diseaseBackground:DRESS is a rare, life threatening syndrome that occurs following exposure to certain medications, most commonly antibiotics and antiepileptics. While sulfonamide antibiotics are frequently implicated as causative agents for DRESS syndrome, furosemide, a nonantibiotic sulfonamide, has not been routinely reported as the causative agent despite its widespread use.Case Report:A 63 year old male who started furosemide for lower extremity edema 10 weeks prior presented with diarrhea, fever of 39.4°C, dry cough and maculopapular rash involving >50% of his body. He self-discontinued furosemide due to concern for dehydration. The diarrhea spontaneously resolved, but he developed hypoxia requiring hospitalization. CT scan demonstrated mediastinal lymphadenopathy and interstitial infiltrates. Laboratory evaluation revealed leukocytosis, eosinophilia and thrombocytopenia. He was treated empirically for atypical pneumonia, and after resuming furosemide for fluid excess, he developed AKI, worsening rash, fever and eosinophilia of 2,394 cell/µL. Extensive infectious and inflammatory work up was negative. Skin biopsy was consistent with a severe drug reaction. Latency from introduction and clinical worsening following re-exposure indicated furosemide was the likely inciter of DRESS. The RegiSCAR scoring system categorized this case as “definite” with a score of 8.Conclusions:We report a case of severe DRESS syndrome secondary to furosemide, only the second case report in medical literature implicating furosemide. Given its widespread use, the potentially life-threatening nature of DRESS syndrome and the commonly delayed time course in establishing the diagnosis, it is important to remember that, albeit rare, furosemide can be a cause of DRESS syndrome.

Background: The epidemiological transition has seen a trend from communicable to non-communicable diseases in developing countries. At the pinnacle of these chronic diseases is hypertension, pre-hypertension, diabetes and obesity. This leads to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. In addition, environmental and behavioural changes such as lifestyle habits represent modifiable risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The Caribbean is not immune to this trend. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted between June and September 2009 and involved individuals 15-74 years of age. Age-gender was weighted to get as close a representative sample of the general population living in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) for more than two years to a total of 301 (n = 301, M: 144, F: 157; CI 95% ± error 5%). The study was carried out using a handout questionnaire that included variables on age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), income level, cigarette smoking, physical activity, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and cholesterol.

Objective: There is a lack of evidence regarding tapering opioid medications in patients with chronic non-cancer pain. The purpose of this survey was to gather perspectives on future research into opioid tapering from utilizers of chronic opioid therapy (COT) or other people affected by chronic noncancer pain. Methods: The survey was distributed in paper form to patients on COT and via an online platform to patients self-enrolled in the chronic pain patient engagement group. The survey included a layman’s description of a possible tapering trial of opioid medications and elicited binary responses regarding willingness to participate and reasoning as well as qualitative freeform responses. Thematic analysis was performed to identify themes in narrative responses. Results: A total of 190 surveys were returned with 72.1% of all respondents answering positively regarding their willingness to participate in a proposed study. The most common reasons for participating in the study included concerns regarding opioid dependence, adding to society’s knowledge of opioid medications, and determining if the respondent would personally receive benefit from opioid medications. Patients recently on COT felt it was important to be able to withdraw from the study and return to usual care at any time (41.8% for recent COT and 15.5% for no recent COT, P < .05). The most common reason for unwillingness to participate was that respondents did not feel they had enough information to feel comfortable participating. The narrative responses showed a group of respondents felt COT was the only answer to their or their loved ones’ chronic pain and that a study would demonstrate the need to continue these medications long-term. There were also stories of side effects and dependence with decreasing effectiveness of opioids for pain control. When prompted to comment on study design, respondents indicated the study should include alternative pain management options. This was accompanied by responses with the assumption that pain will worsen as opioid medications are decreased. Conclusion: Patient concerns regarding opioid medications and discontinuation reflect the lack of evidence available to prescribers. There appears to be patient support for future research into the effects of tapering opioid medications.

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