title: Successful Treatment of Perianal Ulcers in a Patient with Felty's Syndrome Using Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor.
abstract: We report a case of Felty's syndrome in a 65-year-old woman with chronic nonhealing perianal ulcers caused by persistent granulocytopenia. She was successfully treated with low dose recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) 300 mug twice weekly. G-CSF contributed to an increase in neutrophil counts and gradual healing of the ulcers. There was no evidence of exacerbation of the rheumatoid arthritis during the 3-month treatment period. Discontinuation of the G-CSF resulted in a return to the baseline neutropenic state without recurrence of ulceration. Intermittent use of G-CSF may be useful therapy for patients who have Felty's Syndrome and develop complications from their neutropenia. A literature review of treatment modalities for these complications suggests that G-CSF appears to be reliable and efficacious, with few reported adverse events in this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: London Health Sciences Center, Victoria Campus (I.C.-Y.), Department of Medicine (A.H.), University of Western Ontario, London, and St. Joseph's Health Center (S.H.), Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chin-Yee
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halasi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hassan