This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons licence CC-BY-NC 4.0. IN PRACTICE CASE REPORT Angio-oedema associated with colistin A A Abulfathi,1 MBBS; T Greyling,2 MB ChB, FCP (SA), Cert ID (SA) Phys; M Makiwane,1 MB ChB, Dip HIV Man (SA), PG Dip (Pharm Med); M Esser,3 MB ChB, MMed (Paed), Cert Rheum; E Decloedt,1 MB ChB, BSc Hons (Pharm), FCCP (SA), MMed (Clin Pharm) 1 Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa 2 Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa 3 Immunology Unit, Medical Microbiology, National Health Laboratory Service Tygerberg; and Department of Pathology, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa Corresponding author: A A Abulfathi (
[email protected]) A 50-year-old woman known to have type 1 diabetes mellitus presented with a rare case of angio-oedema associated with colistin use. The angio-oedema was temporally associated with the use and discontinuation of colistin with the reasonable exclusion of important differential diagnoses. Pseudoallergy may be a probable underlying mechanism. However, we cannot exclude the possibility of hereditary angio-oedema type 2 or 3, or that her concomitant medications (particularly enalapril) and her renal impairment contributed to the risk and severity of her angio-oedema. S Afr Med J 2016;106(10):990-991. DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2016.v106i10.10835 We present what is to our knowledge a rare presentation of colistin-induced angio- oedema.[1] Case report 19 March 2015 19 March A 50-year-old woman presented to Tygerberg 2015 9 March 2015 22 March Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa (SA), Actraphane with dysuria, and suprapubic and lower abdominal pain.