When medicine transforms art

Transpl Infect Dis. 2019 Aug;21(4):e13130. doi: 10.1111/tid.13130. Epub 2019 Jul 2.

Abstract

A 40-year-old female with a history of type 1 diabetes mellitus and solitary pancreas transplant, presented with pancreatic graft rejection 1-year post-transplant. Incidentally, a 1.1 cm right lower lobe cavity was identified during her workup. Given the augmentation of immunosuppression, voriconazole was empirically started for possible invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. As the patient was a painter, this resulted in a significant change in the colors of her paintings. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with pulmonary coccidioidomycosis and her visual disturbances resolved after the voriconazole was changed to fluconazole. Voriconazole causes visual disturbances in 20%-30% of the patients most commonly phototopsias; dyschromatopsias typically involving the tritan axis have also been reported. This case illustrates well the potential impact of voriconazole on spectral sensitivity and color perception.

Keywords: art painting; coccidioidomycosis; visual disturbances; voriconazole.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antifungal Agents / adverse effects*
  • Art
  • Coccidioidomycosis / drug therapy*
  • Color
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung / microbiology
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Triazoles / therapeutic use
  • Vision Disorders / chemically induced*
  • Voriconazole / adverse effects*

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Triazoles
  • Voriconazole