Treatment of Sickle Cell Leg Ulcers with Pentoxifylline

Abstract

A 58-year-old black man with leg ulcers of 43 years duration responded to pentoxifylline 400 mg tid in 8 months. The ability of pentoxifylline to increase erythrocyte flexibility and decrease blood viscosity was the basis for our use of this agent. Oral pentoxifylline may be a useful adjunct in healing sickle cell leg ulcers and preventing their recurrence.

Leg Ulcers in Sickle-Cell Disease: Treatment Update

“…A single case in 1990 reported that pentoxifylline by oral route (400 mg, 3/day) was effective on an SCLU, with complete healing in 3 months. 51 One patient with an SCLU was treated with bosentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist, for pulmonary hypertension. 52 The ulcer healed in 3 weeks, without relapse for 10 months.…”

Interventions for treating leg ulcers in people with sickle cell disease

“…Pharmaceutical interventions a. Systemic pharmaceutical interventions: i. vascular drugs (such as pentoxifylline (blood viscosityreducing agent) (Frost 1990), isoxsuprine hydrochloride (β-adrenergic receptor stimulant) (Serjeant 1977), xanthinol nicotinate (vasodilator) (Afifi 1979)); ii. antioxidant agents (such as L-carnitine) (Harrel 1990;Serjeant 1997); iii.…”

Úlceras de perna em pacientes com anemia falciforme

“…19 Its use in sickle-cell ulcers had already been proposed in 1990, on the basis of its effects in reducing sickling of red blood cells in vitro and for resolution of vessel-occlusive crises in SCD (evidence level C, recommendation level 4). 20 This drug has been strongly recommended for treatment of venous stasis ulcers (evidence level B, recommendation level 1) and some authors consider that it should also be used in patients with sickle cell ulcers because of the high frequency of CVD observed in these cases. 5 The same group 5 also suggests using a biological skin substitute (Apligraf®, Organogenesis Inc., Canton, Massachusetts), composed of cultured keratinocytes and fibroblasts on a collagen scaffold, for treatment of leg ulcers in patients with SCD and CVD, who have not responded to conventional treatments after 4 to 6 weeks.…”