Systemic Capillary Leak Syndrome

Treatment

Systemic capillary leak syndrome causes a rapid drop in blood pressure that, if not treated in an intensive-care setting, can lead to multiple organ failure and death within hours.

During an episode of systemic capillary leak syndrome, fluids are administered intravenously to maintain the patient's blood pressure and to prevent damage to vital organs such as the kidneys, heart and brain. The amount of fluid must be carefully controlled. An attempt to normalize blood pressure through aggressive fluid administration can cause destructive swelling of the body's extremities and overload the kidneys and lungs when the body needs to eliminate the excess fluids after the episode passes.

Glucocorticoids (steroids) are often injected during an acute capillary leak syndrome attack to reduce or stop the capillary leak. This is sometimes successful. Fluid pressure in muscles may be monitored. Emergency surgery may be needed to relieve pressure and minimize damage to muscles and nerves in the arms and legs.

Once the capillary walls stop leaking and fluids start to be reabsorbed, patients are usually given diuretics to speed up elimination of the fluids before they accumulate in the lungs and other vital organs, which can be a fatal complication.

Patients who avoid organ and limb damage in a capillary leak syndrome episode tend to recover their health after several days, once the capillary walls return to normal and the accumulated fluid is expelled from the body through urination.

Although no cure has been found for systemic capillary leak syndrome, the frequency and/or severity of episodes is often reduced by having patients take certain asthma medications: theophylline and terbutaline. Patients also may benefit from intravenous treatment with immunoglobulin or by taking thalidomide.

Patients may also be prescribed corticosteroid pills such as prednisone to be taken at the first sign of symptoms of another capillary leak.