Purpose: A case of periorbital edema associated with separate courses of ibuprofen and naproxen is reported.
Summary: An 80-year-old African- American woman with a history of osteoarthritis and hypertension came to the clinic. Her medication regimen included fosinopril sodium 40 mg daily, which she began two years prior. She had no known drug allergies and denied consuming any over-the-counter medications or herbal substances and reported a negative atopic status. She had seen her primary care provider several days prior and reported pain in the hands, fingers, and ankles, which would escalate in the morning and progressively lessen during the course of the day. Her physician prescribed naproxen 375 mg every eight hours as needed. After ingesting two doses of naproxen, she developed itching, swelling, and erythema around the left eye that became progressively worse and spread to the right eye. She contacted her primary care physician, who instructed her to discontinue the naproxen, and the reaction resolved within three days. The patient was maintained on acetaminophen for the arthritic pain with no issues. Approximately three months prior, ibuprofen 600 mg every eight hours as needed was prescribed for the same pain. She stated that after ingesting two doses of ibuprofen, she experienced a reaction similar to that recently experienced with naproxen. At that time, she was instructed to discontinue the ibuprofen, and her symptoms resolved.
Conclusion: An elderly woman developed periorbital edema after taking ibuprofen on one occasion and naproxen on another.