Necrotizing peripheral vasculitis/vasculopathy following the use of cocaine laced with levamisole

The objective of this study was to describe a novel presentation of peripheral vasculitis associated with levamisole-adulterated cocaine. Cocaine abuse is widespread in the United States with 5.3 million people using cocaine in 2008. Over the past decade, drug enforcement officials have noticed the presence of levamisole in confiscated cocaine samples as an adulterant. Known side effects of cocaine-related levamisole ingestion have included agranulocytosis and a cutaneous acral purpura that is histopathologically characterized by a mixture of inflammation (vasculitis) and occlusion (vasculopathy). A 54-year-old man who nasally ingested cocaine laced with levamisole developed widespread necrotic/purpuric skin lesions on approximately 20% of his body with an acral accentuation. These lesions were complicated by multiple areas of sloughing and necrosis. He was initially treated with topical silver sulfadiazine dressing changes but progressed to require debridement and split-thickness skin grafting. Peripheral vasculitis/vasculopathy with severe necrosis resembling Coumadin necrosis is a relatively recently recognized sequelae from levamisole-adulterated cocaine use.