Bucillamine-induced yellow nail in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: two case reports and a review of 36 reported cases.

Abstract

Yellow nail syndrome is an idiopathic condition characterized by a triad consisting of yellow nail, lymphedema, and pulmonary manifestations. Thiol compounds such as D-penicillamine have been reported to be the major cause of drug-induced yellow nail syndrome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We recently experienced two Japanese cases with RA who developed yellow nail under treatment with bucillamine, a thiol-containing anti-rheumatic drug developed and approved in Japan. We reviewed the literature for similar cases and identified 36 RA cases with bucillamine-induced yellow nail, mostly in Japanese medical journals. Most of these cases (90.3%) showed improvement of yellow nail after discontinuation of bucillamine, whereas lymphedema and pulmonary manifestations improved only in 30.8 and 35.0% of the patients, respectively.

• Authors: Daiki Nakagomi, Kei Ikeda, Kawashima Hirotoshi, Hironori Kawashima, Yoshihisa Kobayashi, Akira Suto, Hiroshi Nakajima
• Journal: Rheumatology international (Rheumatol Int) Vol. 33 Issue 3 Pg. 793-7 (Mar 2013) ISSN: 1437-160X [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 22090009 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
• Cysteine
• bucillamine

Topics

• Aged
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal (adverse effects)
• Arthritis, Rheumatoid (drug therapy)
• Cysteine (adverse effects, analogs & derivatives)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Yellow Nail Syndrome (chemically induced)