Cannabis arteritis presenting with Raynaud's and digital ulcerations: a case-based review of a controversial thromboangiitis obliterans-like condition.

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO), or Buerger's disease, is a non-atherosclerotic inflammatory disease of the small and medium-sized arteries, veins, and nerves of the legs and arms, strongly associated with the use of tobacco products in young adults. Cannabis arteritis (CA), an entity with similar clinical and pathological features, has been described in marijuana users as a subtype of TAO. Distinction between TAO and CA is challenging, given that most patients use tobacco and marijuana products concomitantly. Herein, we report the case of a male in his late forties who was referred to rheumatology with a 2-month history of hand swelling and bilateral painful digital ulcers with blue discoloration on his fingers and toes. The patient reported daily use of marijuana in blunt wraps and denied tobacco use. His laboratory work-up was negative for scleroderma and other connective tissue diseases. His angiogram confirmed the diagnosis of thromboangiitis obliterans, which was attributed to cannabis arteritis. The patient was started on aspirin and nifedipine daily and discontinued marijuana use. His symptoms resolved within 6 months and have not recurred for more than a year with continued avoidance of marijuana. Our case is one of the few that features primarily marijuana-driven CA and highlights the importance of not only considering marijuana use but also blunt wrap use in patients presenting with Raynaud's phenomenon and ulcerations as cannabis use rises globally.

Factors Associated With Point-of-Care Treatment Decisions for Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

IMPORTANCE: Studies evaluating factors associated with disease severity in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are limited, and the existing data are controversial. It is also unclear whether severity assessed by HS scoring methods correlate with partnered decision-making on treatment strategies, and thus the clinical relevance of these severity assessments is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess factors associated with disease severity as measured by point-of-care decisions on receipt or escalation of treatment for HS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The retrospective cohort comprised 437 patients with HS ages 18 to 64 years at enrollment with at least 5 monitoring periods of 3 months' duration. The study was performed at an academic medical center. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Receipt of treatment and treatment escalation. RESULTS: The average monitoring time of patients with HS was 4.2 person-years. The frequency of patients with HS with no treatment decreased over the monitoring period, while the frequency for receipt of treatment increased. Care by a dermatologist (odds ratio [OR], 6.7; 95% CI, 5.2-8.6) provided the strongest predictor of having received treatment for HS, and it was also associated with increased odds of escalating treatment (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 2.4-3.7). Tobacco smoking was associated with treatment escalation (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7) over time, whereas obesity was not associated with treatment or escalation. The likelihood of receiving (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.8) or escalating treatment (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.0-1.4) was increased between ages 18 and 39 years. Male sex was not associated with treatment escalation. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Clinician type, tobacco smoking, and age may be important clinical factors that patients and clinicians may consider in developing partnered short- and long-term treatment strategies. Obesity and sex do not seem to influence treatment decisions for HS.