2023-04-19 12:52:08
Side effects center Lareb continues to receive reports of dents (subcutaneous atrophy) at the injection site after injections of triamcinolone acetonide. It is known that this side effect can occur. This is not in the package insert. Proper injection technique can reduce the risk of this side effect.
Triamcinolone acetonide injections (Kenacort-A) inhibit inflammation. The medicine belongs to the corticosteroids. Triamcinolonacetonide is given as a treatment for complaints in which local inflammations play a role. Think of joint disorders such as tennis elbow, gout and osteoarthritis.
Dent due to loss of tissue under the skin
An indentation may occur at the injection site due to subcutaneous atrophy. In subcutaneous atrophy, tissue under the skin decreases. This is a known side effect of corticosteroid injections. Subcutaneous atrophy usually occurs within one to four months after the injection. The dent often disappears within a year.
Subcutaneous atrophy is not included in the package insert
In the official product information of triamcinolone acetonide injections there is a warning of subcutaneous atrophy when the injection is given into a muscle or incorrectly into a joint. This is not listed as a possible side effect in the patient information leaflet. The package insert does mention ‘skin atrophy’ as a possible side effect, describing this as ‘parchment-like, hairless, easily wrinkled thin skin’. This is a different picture than subcutaneous atrophy. It therefore does not appear from the package leaflet that a dent can also occur at the injection site. Side effects center Lareb wrote an alert about this in 2018.
Prevent dents by using the correct injection technique
The technique used to make the injection plays an important role in the development of subcutaneous atrophy. Proper injection technique can minimize the risk of this side effect. That is why we want to bring this to the attention of general practitioners and other healthcare providers who administer triamcinolone acetonide injections.
Read more information here in the article in General Practitioners & Science.
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