Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Dec 12:8:F1000 Faculty Rev-2092.
doi: 10.12688/f1000research.19909.1. eCollection 2019.

Recent advances in managing and understanding pyoderma gangrenosum

Affiliations
Review

Recent advances in managing and understanding pyoderma gangrenosum

Josh Fletcher et al. F1000Res. .

Abstract

Pyoderma Gangrenosum (PG) is a rare neutrophilic dermatosis with multiple different clinical presentations and associated comorbidities. PG has historically been a challenging disorder to diagnose, leading to the development of new diagnostic criteria rather than the traditional approach of a diagnosis of exclusion. The pathophysiology is thought to involve both innate and adaptive immune system dysregulation, neutrophilic abnormalities, environmental, and genetic factors. As of today, no gold standard therapy exists for the treatment of PG, and the literature is restricted to mainly case reports, case series, and 2 small randomized clinical trials. Topical, systemic, and biologic therapy, as well as adequate analgesia and proper wound care all play a role in the management of PG. Recent studies have identified additional cytokines and signalling cascades thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of PG, ultimately leading to the development of new targeted therapies. This review will focus on recent advances in the pathophysiology, clinical presentation and associated comorbidities, diagnosis, and management of PG.

Keywords: Pyoderma Gangrenosum.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No competing interests were disclosed.No competing interests were disclosed.No competing interests were disclosed.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Pathophysiology of pyoderma gangrenosum.

References

    1. Langan SM, Groves RW, Card TR, et al. : Incidence, Mortality, and Disease Associations of Pyoderma Gangrenosum in the United Kingdom: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Invest Dermatol. 2012.132(9):2166–70. 10.1038/jid.2012.130 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Xu A, Balgobind A, Strunk A, et al. : Prevalence estimates for pyoderma gangrenosum in the United States: An age- and sex-adjusted population analysis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019. pii: S0190-9622(19)32494-6. 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.08.001 - DOI - PubMed
    2. F1000 Recommendation

    1. Cohen PR: Neutrophilic Dermatoses: a review of current treatment options. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2009;10(5):301–12. 10.2165/11310730-000000000-00000 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alavi A, French LE, Davis MD, et al. : Pyoderma Gangrenosum: An Update on Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2017;18(3):355–372. 10.1007/s40257-017-0251-7 - DOI - PubMed
    1. McKenzie F, Arthur M, Ortega-Loayza AG: Pyoderma Gangrenosum: What Do We Know Now? Curr Derm Rep. 2018;7:147–157. 10.1007/s13671-018-0224-y - DOI