Skin reaction and fever after treatment with pegvisomant in a patient with acromegaly.
BACKGROUND
Pegvisomant is a growth hormone receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of acromegaly. Documented adverse effects include headache, injection-site reactions, flulike syndrome, and reversible elevation of hepatic enzymes. Skin manifestations at the injection site are reported in approximately 11% of patients and are characterized as erythematous, self-limited reactions that neither require treatment nor lead to drug discontinuation.


OBJECTIVE
This report describes a skin reaction and fever occurring after treatment with pegvisomant in a patient with acromegaly.


METHODS
The patient was a 54-year-old white woman with acromegaly (weight, 85 kg; height, 170 cm). At the time of consultation, her medication regimen was levothyroxine 150 microg/d for hypothyroidism and amlodipine 5 mg/d for hypertension. She started treatment with the somatostatin analogue octreotide acetate 20 mg every 4 weeks, which was then adjusted to 30 mg. Treatment was associated with only partial suppression of insulinlike growth factor-1 concentrations (from 980 ng/mL to 352, 632, and 480 ng/mL at 3, 6, and 9 months, respectively). At this point, octreotide was discontinued and treatment was initiated with pegvisomant 10 mg/d SC. This treatment was initially well tolerated, but after 11 days, she developed an intense erythematous pruriginous reaction at the injection site accompanied by fever (39 degrees C) for 48 hours and, simultaneously, similar lesions at each site of the previous injections. Pegvisomant was discontinued and methylprednisolone 40 mg/d was started, followed by complete disappearance of the lesions in 5 days. Based on the Naranjo algorithm, the adverse reaction observed was probably related to pegvisomant treatment (score = 6).


CONCLUSIONS
We report a patient with acromegaly who developed a skin reaction and fever probably associated with pegvisomant administration. The reaction subsided 5 days after the drug was discontinued and methylprednisolone treatment was given.
Manavela
Marcos Paulo
MP
Division of Endocrinology, Hospital de Clínicas, University of Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. mmanavela@gmail.com
Danilowicz
Karina
K
Bruno
Oscar Domingo
OD
D000172:Acromegaly / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001706:Biopsy; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004890:Erythema / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; C406545:pegvisomant; D008775:Methylprednisolone