# A Case of Scleredema Diabeticorum: Could Pentoxifylline Be a Therapeutic Option?

## Authors

- Habibullah Aktas ([ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9239-1659)) — Karabük University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology
- Serkan Oner ([ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7802-880X)) — Karabük University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology
- Zulal Oner ([ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0459-1015)) — Karabük University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy

## Article information

- **Journal:** The Ulutas Medical Journal (Ulutas Med J), ISSN 2149-388X
- **Issue:** Volume 5, Issue 3 (2019), pages 225–228
- **Article type:** Case Report
- **Published online:** 2019-09-25
- **DOI:** [10.5455/umj.20190616024428](https://doi.org/10.5455/umj.20190616024428)
- **Licence:** [CC BY-NC 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
- **Article page:** https://www.ulutasmedicaljournal.com/?mno=53006
- **PDF:** https://www.ulutasmedicaljournal.com/pdf/53006.pdf

## Abstract

Background: Scleredema diabeticorum is a dermatosis characterized by hardening of skin over the upper back. It is commonly seen in poor-controlled diabetic patients. Therapeutic options are limited. Psoralen and ultraviolet A therapy (PUVA), methotrexate, and topical steroids have been used with some success. Pentoxifylline is a xanthine derivative used mainly in peripheral vascular diseases. It also has antifibrotic effects due to its collagen synthesis inhibition action. Case Presentation: In this paper, a trial of intralesional pentoxifylline treatment and magnetic resonance images of a male patient with scleredema diabeticorum are presented. Some subjective symptoms of the patient improved after this treatment, but, the thickness of the lesion did not change. Conclusion: Pentoxifylline, probably via the oral route, could still be thought in such patients unresponsive to conventional approaches due to its antifibrotic activity and high safety profile.

## Keywords

Scleredema; Pentoxifylline; MRI

## How to cite

Aktas H, Oner S, Oner Z. A Case of Scleredema Diabeticorum: Could Pentoxifylline Be a Therapeutic Option?. Ulutas Med J. 2019;5(3):225-228. doi:10.5455/umj.20190616024428

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