A 50-year-old man with the onset of fever and diarrhea in Morocco

Article Abstract:

A patient who lived in Morocco for several years developed diarrhea and recurrent fever without a known cause. He eventually was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the colon. Adenocarcinoma refers to a specific type of cancerous tumor composed of cells that have a glandular structure. The fever disappeared after five days but recurred one week later. The fever reappeared and disappeared sporadically. The patient also developed chills, diarrhea and a lack of appetite and had experience gastric pain during the year before hospital admission. The patient returned to the US. Chest X-rays and other diagnostic tests were normal as were blood tests. Cultures for a variety of infectious organisms were negative. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a large mass in the splenic flexure (below the spleen in the large intestine). A 15-centimeter mass was removed surgically. The final diagnosis was colonic adenocarcinoma, moderately differentiated.

Causes of, Colorectal cancer, Adenocarcinoma, Relapsing fever

---

A 40-year-old woman with rapid onset of flaccid paraplegia

Article Abstract:

A 40-year-old woman with paralysis of the legs, incontinence, and lower back pain was found to have schistosomiasis involving a Schistosoma mansoni infection of the spinal cord and colon. S. mansoni are parasitic worms that lay eggs that can remain in the body for many years. The worms are common in Brazil, where this woman had lived and visited. Magnetic resonance imaging and CT scans showed abnormal tissue and expansion of the spinal cord at the chest level. Biopsies of the lower colon showed clumps of blood and lymph cells around imbedded eggs, typical of schistosomiasis. Blood tests for the worms were positive. The woman was treated with praziquantel and her condition improved, though she experienced a relapse several months later. She was treated with the drug again, for a week, and was able to walk 10 feet without assistance.

Diagnosis, Schistosomiasis, Paraplegia

---

A 37-year-old woman with liver disease and recurrent diarrhea

Article Abstract:

A 37-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital for an evaluation of her liver disease. She also had a 10-year history of recurring diarrhea. The doctors suspected celiac disease, which is an intolerance for grains such as wheat. It causes malabsorption and diarrhea. A biopsy of her upper intestine confirmed the diagnosis as did blood analysis, which showed the presence of antibodies against wheat gliadin. Her symptoms stopped when she began following a gluten-free diet and her liver function returned to normal.

Celiac disease

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: A 20-year-old man with recent intermittent abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea. A 45-year-old woman with abdominal pain and a polypoid mass in the colon
• Abstracts: A 71-year-old man with a rash and severe sensorimotor neuropathy. Concussion
• Abstracts: A two-year-old boy with recurrent infections, cervical lymphadenopathy, and fever. A 63-year-old man with fever, sweats, and shaking chills
• Abstracts: Keeping the doctor away. Remedial action. Unseen and unheard: the plight of children whose parents have HIV or AIDS is notrecognised by many support services. Nurses have been called to help put the recordstraight
• Abstracts: Hepatitis B and C viruses and their interaction in the origin of hepatocellular carcinoma. The macronutrient composition of the Greek diet: estimates derived from six case-control studies

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.