1/214. Understanding peptic ulcer disease pharmacotherapeutics. The implication that helicobacter pylori is responsible for peptic ulcer disease (PUD) has revolutionized the pharmacotherapeutic management of PUD. There has been a shift from long-term therapy with antacids and histamine2 (H2) antagonists to short-term therapy with triple antimicrobials with or without an antisecretory agent or a double antimicrobial therapy with an antisecretory agent. A case of PUD in a 53-year-old woman and its management with double antimicrobial agents and an antisecretory agent is discussed. research evidence suggests that a treatment regimen aimed at eradicating H. pylori without diagnostic testing enhances the ability to effectively manage suspected cases of PUD before complications arise and referrals to specialists are necessary. Discouraging the use of over-the-counter H2 antagonists, ruling out long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs before selecting the treatment regimen, and considering expected treatment compliance are important aspects of PUD management that emerged from this case. ( info) |
| A 39-year-old man, operated on for duodenal ulcer, was found to have a papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, an aldosterone-producing adenoma of the adrenal cortex, and a recurrence of a peptic ulcer. The probable coincidental occurrence of these diseases in this patient is suggested. Nevertheless, careful investigation of the other endocrine glands in patients with endocrine tumors is recommended. ( info) |
| Acute dystonia is a dramatic form of extrapyramidal side effects of antipsychotic medications. Although extrapyramidal reactions have been noted in related drugs, there are no existing reports associated with ranitidine. This report describes a case of an acute dystonic reaction secondary to a commonly prescribed, currently approved over-the-counter drug, ranitidine. ( info) |
| hyperemesis gravidarum is the most severe spectrum of gastrointestinal complaints in pregnant women. Our purpose is to describe an association of helicobacter pylori with hyperemesis gravidarum. Three pregnant women are described with the working diagnoses of hyperemesis gravidarum unresponsive to standard therapy. The medical management used to treat helicobacter pylori in these women are elaborated. The persistence of the symptomatology and/or hematemesis resulted in helicobacter pylori testing of these women. A 2-week course of antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor or H2 receptor antagonist resulted in resolution of the hyperemesis. A discussion of the incidence, diagnosis, and management of helicobacter pylori in pregnancy is described. When the symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum are persistent into the second trimester, active peptic ulcer disease from helicobacter pylori should be included in the differential diagnoses. ( info) |
| Chronic vague abdominal pain is an extremely common complaint in children over 5 years, with a peak incidence in the 8 to 10 year group. In over 90 per cent of the cases no serious underlying organic disease will be discovered. Most disease states can be ruled out by a careful history, a meticulous physical examination, and a few simple laboratory tests such as urinalysis, sedimentation rate, hemoglobin, white blood count determination, and examination of a blood smear. If organic disease is present there are often clues in the history and the examination. The kidney is often the culprit--an intravenous pyelogram should be done if disease is suspected. barium enema is the next most valuable test. Duodenal ulcers and abdominal epilepsy are rare and are over-diagnosed. If no organic cause is found, the parents must be convinced that the pain is real, and that "functional" does not mean "imaginary." This is best explained by comparing with "headache"--the headache resulting from stress and tension hurts every bit as much as the headache caused by a brain tumor or other intracranial pathology. Having convinced the patient and his parents that no serious disease exists, no further investigation should be carried out unless new signs or symptoms appear. The child must be returned to full activity immediately. ( info) |
6/214. Post-gastrectomy bone disease undiagnosed for forty years. Polya partial gastrectomy was performed for peptic ulcer in a previously healthy woman aged 28 years. She complained afterwards of a variety of non-specific symptoms including weakness, tiredness, debility, slowness of walking, poor appetite and constipation. Within ten years her back became bent. She was treated for intercurrent hypertension and epilepsy. Bone fractures on low-impact trauma occurred in her fifties. At 57 years, she was unable to care for herself and had to be admitted to a nursing home. She could still walk slowly with the aid of a stick. For three months at the age of 65 years, she was unable to rise from her chair. Investigations disclosed severe post-gastrectomy bone disease. At no time had she complained of bone pains. ( info) |
7/214. Erosive injury to the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients receiving iron medication: an underrecognized entity. Severe gastrointestinal necrosis and strictures after an iron overdose are well described. However, mucosal injury in patients receiving therapeutic iron has received only scant recognition despite its wide use. We studied the clinical and histologic features of 36 upper gastrointestinal tract biopsies from 33 patients (24 gastric, 9 esophageal, 1 gastroesophageal junction, and 2 duodenal) containing characteristic brown crystalline iron material, and evaluated the amount and tissue distribution of the iron. In addition, we investigated the prevalence of iron-associated mucosal injury in upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations. The majority of the biopsies (32 of 36, 89%) contained luminal crystalline iron adjacent to the surface epithelium or admixed with luminal fibrinoinflammatory exudate. Thirty biopsies (83%) showed crystalline iron deposition in the lamina propria, either covered by an intact epithelium, subjacent to small superficial erosions, or admixed with granulation tissue. Three biopsies (8%) demonstrated iron-containing thrombi in mucosal blood vessels. Erosive or ulcerative mucosal injury was present in 30 of 36 biopsies (83%). The amount of iron accumulation in cases with mucosal injury was greater than in cases without mucosal injury (mean grades, 2.4 vs. 1.3 on a 1 to 3 scale; p = 0.002). iron medication was confirmed in 25 of 33 patients (76%) 22 patients were receiving ferrous sulfate. Approximately half of the patients (17 of 33, 51%) also had underlying infectious, mechanical, toxic, or systemic medical conditions that could have initiated or exacerbated tissue injury. Crystalline iron deposition was found in 0.9% of upper gastrointestinal endoscopic examinations (12 of 1,300), and iron medication-associated erosive mucosal injury was present in 0.7% (9 of 1,300). These results indicate that crystalline iron deposition in the upper gastrointestinal tract is not uncommon. It can induce or exacerbate a distinctive histologic pattern of erosive mucosal injury, especially in patients with associated upper gastrointestinal disorders. Recognition of this pattern by pathologists and its communication to clinicians may aid in optimizing therapy. ( info) |
8/214. Ulceration in an ileocolic anastomosis treated with ranitidin. The authors report the case of a child born with a gastroschisis and an ileal atresia. After surgery, only 100 cm small bowel and the distal one third of his colon remained. Perianastomotic ulcers developed 6 years later. These were treated successfully with ranitidin, a treatment not previously reported in the literature. The authors conclude that treatment with ranitidin was successful in a patient with an ulcer in an ileocolic anastomosis. ( info) |
9/214. Gastric adenocarcinoma presenting with persistent, mild gastrointestinal symptoms in pregnancy. A case report. BACKGROUND: Mild gastrointestinal symptoms are common during pregnancy but can also be the only symptoms in stomach cancer until the late stage. Clinicians' reluctance to pursue diagnostic studies appears to be a major contributing factor to delayed diagnosis and poor outcome. We report a case of maternal death to alert clinicians to this rare possibility. CASE: A 36-year-old woman had persistent, mild epigastric discomfort, nausea, vomiting and frequent episodes of dark stools since the second trimester of pregnancy. These were attributed to peptic ulcer and an iron supplement given, without investigation. gastroscopy was performed only at 32 weeks of gestation, when the patient had heavy hematemesis. biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach. cesarean section was performed after steroid therapy. Advanced stomach cancer with stomach perforation was found. Curative surgery was not possible. The patient died four weeks after delivery. CONCLUSION: stomach cancer is a rare complication of pregnancy. Delay in diagnosis is commonly due to clinicians' reluctance to request diagnostic studies and the nonspecific symptoms of the disease. Early recognition and diagnosis are the only possibilities for a better outcome. Clinicians must be alert to this possibility and include this in the differential diagnosis of minor gastrointestinal discomfort during pregnancy. ( info) |
10/214. Gastroesophageal involvement in herpes simplex. herpes simplex in the gastric mucosa has not been previously described. The case presented here describes gastritis and esophagitis resulting from herpes simplex in a patient being treated with immunosuppressive agents. These changes were confirmed endoscopically and radiographically. biopsy specimens of the gastric and esophageal mucosa showed eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies typical of herpes simplex. The pathogenesis and pathological appearance of herpetic gastritis and esophagitis are presented. ( info) |