Gangrene of penis in a patient with chronic kidney disease on dialysis

Abstract

Gangrene of the penis in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis is a rare occurrence. Such patients often have associated comorbidities such as type II diabetes mellitus and systemic hypertension. These conditions accelerate the process of atherosclerosis, which, along with calcium deposition, causes partial or complete obstruction of the blood vessel lumen, leading to ischemic necrosis at the tip of the penis. This adds to the preexisting morbidity and mortality in such patients. In most cases, appropriate medical management is advocated to prevent the deposition of calcium in the lumen.

Keywords

• calciphylaxis
• diabetes mellitus
• gangrene
• hemodialysis