A case of difficult pain in a patient with chronic renal failure and calciphylaxis

A difficult pain occurred in a man with chronic renal failure as a result o f the underlying condition of calciphylaxis. In this condition, calcificati on of small and medium-sized arteries occurs, which may result in ischemia and gangrene. In general, the prognosis is poor, with mortality rates rangi ng from 23-63%. Pain associated with this condition has been previously rep orted. In this report, the pain occurred in the lower limbs and penis, and was associated with local necrosis. The pain was observed to be significant ly worse on dialysis. A multiprofessional approach to care ultimately resul ted in good symptom control. J Pain Symptom Manage 2001;22:617-621 (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 2001.