[Successful treatment of gangrenous pyoderma with methotrexate in a patient withCrohn's disease]

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a neutrophilic, cutaneous-ulcerative, non-infectious dermatosis that occurs in up to 2% of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Its appearance is usually independent of the clinical course of CD. The most used therapies have been systemic corticosteroids, cyclosporine and biological therapy, which have shown good results. Methotrexate (MTX) is an antimetabolite drug with anti-inflammatory activity characterized by a weekly dosage, a faster onset of action, with a good safety profile related to malignant neoplasms and, above all, a lower cost. It is effective in the induction of remission in patients with CD, however its efficacy in the management of extraintestinal manifestations such as PG is uncertain. We present the case of a young man who comes to the emergency room with an history of chronic diarrhea, weight loss, and fever accompanied by a painful, erythematous nodule, located at the lower extremity compatible with PG in the context of CD. It was initially managed with systemic corticosteroids without improvement. Concomitant therapy with MTX was started with a favorable clinical outcome. In conclusion, the concomitant therapy of systemic corticosteroids and MTX in patients with CD with PG could be an alternative treatment in cases where cyclosporine or biological therapy is not available.