Sodium Thiosulphate: A New Way of Treatment for Calciphylaxis?

Abstract

Sodium thiosulphate has been used in medicine for almost 100 years. There are some very important areas of application such as cyanide intoxications or the treatment of cisplatin toxicity. Till this day, this compound is almost unknown to most physicians. This is astonishing, especially because there are some promising reports in the literature describing a possibly wider area of application in different domains of medicine such as urology, nephrology or dermatology. Perhaps one of the most exciting and recent domains of sodium thiosulphate use is the treatment of calciphylaxis, providing new options dealing with this severe and mostly lethal illness. The goal of this article is to review the new application possibility of this compound.

Calciphylaxis from Nonuremic Causes

“…The majority of the cases had normal serum calcium (58%), normal serum phosphorous (69.4%), normal calcium phosphorous product (72.2%), and low or normal serum parathyroid hormone levels (50%). Marked elevation in serum calcium (equivalent to Ͼ12 mg/dl) was seen in six cases (17,19,21,22,34), and marked serum phosphorous elevations were seen in only two cases (3,15). Elevation of calcium-phosphorous product Ͼ50 was seen in only seven cases (3,7,17,19,21,22,33).…”

Articular cartilage calcification in osteoarthritis: Insights into crystal‐induced stress

“…Similarly, sodium thiosulfate, which has been used for several decades in humans to cure cyanide poisoning, to prevent cisplatin chemotherapy–induced bladder toxicity, and to prevent renal lithiasis, was recently shown to be effective in preventing vascular calcification in uremic rats (68–73). Moreover, sodium thiosulfate was able to dissolve and cure uremic calcinosis and to efficiently treat calciphylaxis, a rare but severe complication of chronic renal failure characterized by arteriolar calcification (70, 71, 74). This medication could represent a real opportunity for the treatment of Ca 2+ ‐containing crystal–associated OA.…”

Breast Lesions with Intractable Pain in End-Stage Renal Disease: Calciphylaxis with Chronic Hypotensive Dermatopathy Related Watershed Breast Lesions

“…22,23 Sodium thiosulfate reduces metastatic tissue calcification, acts as an antioxidant, and induces endothelial nitric oxide synthesis, which improves blood flow and tissue oxygenation leading to ulcer healing. 24,25 Bisphosphonates, both …”