Pharmacology and therapeutics: Pseudoporphyria as a result of voriconazole use: a case report

Voriconazole, a second-generation triazole, has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat invasive aspergillosis and refractory infections with Scedosporium apiospermum or Fusarium spp. The reported side-effects of voriconazole include visual changes, headaches, elevated hepatic enzymes, Steven-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, chelitis, photosensitivity, discoid lupus erythematosus and anaphylactoid infusion reactions. Pseudoporphyria was first described in association with nalidixic acid. It has the same clinical and histologic features as porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) but is distinguished by normal porphyrin levels in the serum, urine and stool. We present the case of a patient who developed pseudoporphyria after receiving treatment with voriconazole.