Would your patient benefit from a monoclonal antibody?

These unique agents may be the answer when other treatments fail or are intolerable for patients with asthma, atopic dermatitis, hyperlipidemia, osteoporosis, or migraine headaches.

Rhabdomyolysis secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is a systemic auto-immune disorder with a variety of presentations and wide spread organ involvement. We present a case report of a patient with an SLE exacerbation as well as concurrent rhabdomyolysis with massively elevated CPK (304,700 U/L). Though a rarely reported effect of SLE, rhabdomyolysis can be severe and potentially lethal secondary or concurrent to an acute SLE episode. This case report demonstrates the association between SLE and rhabdomyolysis, which is not well described in the current literature.

Anaphylactoid reaction to enoxaparin in a patient with deep venous thrombosis.

A 40-year-old Caucasian man diagnosed with right deep venous thrombosis secondary to trauma was treated with subcutaneous enoxaparin. Within minutes of administering the first dose (1 mg/kg), he experienced an apparent anaphylactoid reaction; symptoms were abdominal pruritus, severe cough, shortness of breath, anxiety, and global pruritus. Physical examination revealed an erythematous macular rash and stridor on auscultation secondary to cervical edema. No other drugs were given before the reaction occurred, and the patient's only drug therapy at home had consisted of a daily multivitamin, and acetaminophen and ibuprofen as needed. Administration of low-molecular-weight heparins such as enoxaparin is increasing, and clinicians must be aware of the potential for adverse drug events such as hypersensitivity reactions.