Calciphylaxis in terminal renal failure as a rare manifestation of leg ulcers

Calciphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening disease that occurs up to 4% of patients with chronic terminal renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Clinical symptoms are painful skin erythema and ischemic necrosis as a result of calcification of the small and medium-sized arteries of the subcutaneous tissues. The mortality of the disease is as high as 87% mainly due to sepsis from superinfection. We report on a 59-year-old patient with chronic renal failure and normal calcium-phosphate-product with leg ulcers as a rare manifestation of a calciphylaxis. In spite of an early parathyroidectomy and a temporary complete wound-healing the death because of calciphylaxis could not be prevented.