Urticarial vasculitis induced by OTC diet pills: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Urticarial Vasculitis (UV) is in most of the cases idiopathic; however it has been associated with several conditions and drugs. Over the counter (OTC) diet pills are widely available, even on-line, but they are rarely regulated by pharmaceutical control.


METHODS
We present the case of a 35-year-old female patient suffering of pruriginous and painful wheals more than 1 cm in diameter, with a burning sensation. The eruption lasted more than 24 hours and was accompanied by angioedema, headache and myalgia. No remarkable medical history was found, except for previous intake of OTC diet pills. UV diagnosis was confirmed by the skin biopsy of a lesion.


CONCLUSIONS
OTC diet pills are widely available worldwide, and due to its widespread use, allergologists and dermatologist should be able to recognize symptoms and lesions of cutaneous vasculitis, which may be under reported.
School of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Guayaquil, Ecuador ; RespiraLab Research Group, Hospital-Clínica Kennedy, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Iván
I
Chérrez Ojeda
Centro Dermatológico Loayza, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Enrique
E
Loayza
Instituto Argentino de Alergia e Inmunología, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Leonardo
L
Greiding
RespiraLab Research Group, Hospital-Clínica Kennedy, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Juan Carlos
JC
Calderón
School of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Annia
A
Cherrez
School of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Farid
F
Adum
OTC diet pills; Urticarial Vasculitis; Weight loss