Moxifloxacin;

My patient has painful pustules and nodules in her axillae.  How can I distinguish hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) from folliculitis or recurrent skin abscesses?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

A key differentiating factor between hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and more common conditions such as folliculitis or recurrent abscesses is the location and recurrence pattern of the lesions. HS is clinically diagnosed based on the following typical lesion characteristics:

  • Morphology: open comedones, pustules, painful nodules, abscesses, sinus tracks and scarring; 
  • Distribution: intertriginous or apocrine gland-rich areas, such as the axillae, inframammary folds, lower abdomen/waist, gluteal cleft, groin and inner thighs; and
  • Frequency: recurrent lesions in the same locations, with at least two or more episodes in six months1,2

In contrast, folliculitis involves inflammation of the hair follicle and may present with pustules or boils; however, lesions are superficial, occur anywhere hair is present, and are not complicated by deep nodules, sinus tracks or scarring.2

Although recurrent abscesses may mimic HS, they are typically unilateral or asymmetric, fluctuant and caused by bacterial infection with positive wound cultures. In contrast, HS is frequently a symmetric, sterile inflammatory condition unless secondarily infected. Additionally, abscesses generally respond to incision and drainage and antibiotics and do not result in sinus tracks or scarring.2

Once you suspect HS, your management may be guided by its severity using the following disease stages (Hurley staging).

  • Mild disease (Hurley stage I): localized lesions without sinus tracks or scarring. Treat with antimicrobial washes (chlorhexidine) and topical antibiotics (clindamycin).3
  • Moderate disease (Hurley stage II): typical lesions in multiple locations with or without sinus tracks and scarring. Treat with antimicrobial washes, topical antibiotics, and systemic antibiotics (tetracyclines or clindamycin). Consider adding rifampin, metronidazole, or moxifloxacin in refractory cases.3
  • Severe disease (Hurley stage III): diffuse painful lesions with extensive sinus tracks and scarring. Requires dermatology referral for consideration of biologics (eg, adalimumab), laser, parenteral antibiotics and/or surgical interventions.3

Across all stages of severity, patients should be counseled on smoking cessation, weight loss, diet modification and appropriate pain management.4 Acute flares may be treated with warm compresses, tetracyclines, and intralesional steroids.3 Incision and drainage is reserved for severe, painful lesions as routine drainage could worsen tunneling.5

Bonus Pearl: Did you know the average diagnosis delay for HS is up to 10 years?2 Primary care physicians have a unique position in early recognition and treatment of this debilitating disease.

Contributed by Taylor Lynch, MD, Mercy Hospital-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri

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References:

  1. Wieczorek M, and Walecka I. Hidradenitis suppurativa – known and unknown disease. Reumatologia 2016: 56: 337-339. doi:10.5114/reum.2018.80709. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30647478/.
  2. Snyder, CL, Chen XL, Porter ML. Obstacles to early diagnosis and treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa: Current Perspectives on Improving Clinical Management. Clin Cosm Invest Derm 2023;16:1833-1841. doi:10.2147/CCID.S301794. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10361090/.
  3. Alikhan A, Sayed C, Alavi A, et al. North American clinical management guidelines for hidradenitis suppurativa: A publication from the United States and Canadian Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundations: Part II: Topical, intralesional, and systemic medical management. J Am Acad Derm 2019;81:91-101. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2019.02.068. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30872149/.
  4. Hermak S, and Lev-Tov H. Integrative approaches in the management of hidradenitis suppurativa. J Am Acad Derm 2024;91: S42-S45. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2024.09.016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39626999/.
  5. Chawla S, Toale C, Morris M, et al. Surgical management of hidradenitis suppurativa: A narrative review. J Clin Aesth Derm 2022;15: 35-41. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35309275/.

Disclosures/Disclaimers: The listed questions and answers are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of Mercy Hospital-St. Louis, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University, their affiliate academic healthcare centers, or its contributors. Although every effort has been made to provide accurate information, the author is far from being perfect. The reader is urged to verify the content of the material with other sources as deemed appropriate and exercise clinical judgment in the interpretation and application of the information provided herein. No responsibility for an adverse outcome or guarantees for a favorable clinical result is assumed by the author. Thank you!

My patient has painful pustules and nodules in her axillae.  How can I distinguish hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) from folliculitis or recurrent skin abscesses?

What changes should I consider in my treatment of hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in light of the 2019 guidelines of the American Thoracic society (ATS) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Compared to 2007,1 the 2019 ATS/IDSA guidelines2 propose changes in at least 4 major areas of CAP treatment in inpatients, with 2 “Do’s” and 2 “Dont’s”:

  • Do select empiric antibiotics based on severity of CAP and risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (see related pearl on P4P)
  • Do routinely treat CAP patients who test positive for influenza with standard CAP antibiotics
  • Don’t routinely provide anaerobic coverage in aspiration pneumonia (limit it to empyema and lung abscess) (see related pearl on P4P)
  • Don’t routinely treat CAP with adjunctive corticosteroids in the absence of refractory shock

β-lactam plus macrolide is recommended for both non-severe and severe CAP.  β-lactam plus respiratory fluoroquinolone is an alternative regime in severe CAP, though not endorsed as strongly as β-lactam plus macrolide therapy (low quality of evidence).  Management per CAP severity summarized below:

  • Non-severe CAP
    • β-lactam (eg, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, ampicillin-sulbactam and newly-added ceftaroline) plus macrolide (eg, azithromycin, clarithromycin) OR respiratory fluoroquinolone (eg, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin)
    • In patients at risk of MRSA or P. aeruginosa infection (eg, prior isolation of respective pathogens, hospitalization and parenteral antibiotics in the last 90 days or locally validated risk factors—HCAP has been retired), obtain cultures/PCR
    • Hold off on MRSA or P. aeruginosa coverage unless culture/PCR results return positive.
  • Severe CAP
    • β-lactam plus macrolide OR β-lactam plus respiratory fluoroquinolone (see above)
    • In patients at risk of MRSA or P. aeruginosa infection (see above), obtain cultures/PCR
    • Add MRSA coverage (eg, vancomycin or linezolid) and/or P. aeruginosa coverage (eg, cefepime, ceftazidime, piperacillin-tazobactam, meropenem, imipenem) if deemed at risk (see above) while waiting for culture/PCR results

Duration of antibiotics is for a minimum of 5 days for commonly-targeted pathogens and a minimum of 7 days for MRSA or P. aeruginosa infections, irrespective of severity or rapidity in achieving clinical stability.

For patients who test positive for influenza and have CAP, standard antibacterial regimen should be routinely added to antiinfluenza treatment.

For patients suspected of aspiration pneumonia, anaerobic coverage (eg, clindamycin, ampicillin-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam) is NOT routinely recommended in the absence of lung abscess or empyema.

Corticosteroids are NOT routinely recommended for non-severe (high quality of evidence) or severe (moderate quality of evidence) CAP in the absence of refractory septic shock.

Related pearls on P4P:

2019 CAP guidelines on diagnostics:                                        https://pearls4peers.com/2020/02/14/what-changes-should-i-consider-in-my-diagnostic-approach-to-hospitalized-patients-with-community-acquired-pneumonia-cap-in-light-of-the-2019-guidelines-of-the-american-thoracic-society-ats-and-inf/ 

Anerobic coverage of aspiration pneumonia: https://pearls4peers.com/2019/07/31/should-i-routinely-select-antibiotics-with-activity-against-anaerobes-in-my-patients-with-presumed-aspiration-pneumonia/

References

  1. Mandell LA, Wunderink RG, Anzueto A. Infectious Disease Society of America/American Thoracic Society Consensus Guidelines on the Management guidelines on the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Clin Infect Dis 2007;44:S27-72. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17278083
  2. Metlay JP, Waterer GW, Long AC, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of adults with community-acquired pneumonia. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019;200:e45-e67. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31573350

 

What changes should I consider in my treatment of hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in light of the 2019 guidelines of the American Thoracic society (ATS) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)?

My diabetic patient complains of new onset tingling, burning, and numbness in her feet and ankles while taking levofloxacin for sinusitis. Could it be the antibiotic?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Although there are numerous culprits in peripheral neuropathy (PN), fluoroquinolones (FQs) are increasing reported as a potential cause, affecting about 1% of patients. 1

Besides many case reports, couple of large epidemiologic studies support the association between PN and FQs. A case-control pharmacoepidemiologic study of a cohort of men aged 45-80 years without diabetes found that current users of FQs were nearly twice as likely to develop PN (RR 1.83, 95% C.I. 1.49-2.27), with the highest risk found among current new users of FQ.2 The risk appeared similar among the 3 most commonly used FQs (levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin).

Another epidemiologic study with “pharmacovigilance analysis” based on the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System found significant disproportionality of PN for FQs compared to many other antibiotics. 3 The median onset of PN after exposure to FQ was 4 days (range 0-91). Contrary to initial reports of the mild and reversible course of FQ-associated PN, 1 study reported that 58% of patients had symptoms lasting greater than 1 year.4`

These findings prompted the FDA to update its boxed warnings for FQs in 2016 to stress the potential rapidity of onset and permanence of FQ-associated PN while strongly discouraging their use in conditions for which alternative therapy exists, such as in acute bacterial sinusitis, acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and uncomplicated UTI.5

So while our patient may have other causes for her neurologic complaints, FQ exposure should also be in the differential!

References

  1. Dudewich M, Danesh A, Onyima C, et al. Intractable acute pain related to fluoroquinolone-induced peripheral neuropathy. J Pain Pall Care Pharmacotherapy 2017;31:144-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28358229
  2. Etminan M, Brophy JM, Samii A. Oral fluoroquinolone use and risk of peripheral neuropathy: A pharmacoepidemiologic study.Neurology 2014;83:1261-63. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25150290
  3. Ali AK. Peripheral neuropathy and Guillain-Barre syndrome risks associated with exposure to systemic fluorquinolones: a pharmacovigilance analysis. Ann Epidemiol 2014; 24:279-85. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24472364
  4. Francis JK, Higgins E. Permanent peripheral neuropathy: A case report on a rare but serious debilitating side-effect of fluroquinolone administration. Journal Investigative Medicine High Impact Case Reports 2014; 1-4. DOI:10.1177/2324709614545225. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26425618
  5. FDA.https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm511530.htm.  Accessed December 8, 2017.
My diabetic patient complains of new onset tingling, burning, and numbness in her feet and ankles while taking levofloxacin for sinusitis. Could it be the antibiotic?