A 58-year-old man with hematochezia and a lesion of the cecum

Article Abstract:

A case is described of a 58-year-old man who suddenly developed hematochezia, the passage of stools containing bright red blood. His medical history included insulin-dependent diabetes for the past 20 years, and hypertension for 10 years, which had not been treated. He also had a duodenal ulcer three years before the current incident, and a recent evaluation for chest pain. After he passed the bloody stools, he went to the emergency room and was evaluated. It was found that his duodenum was only mildly inflamed, and the bleeding had originated from the cecum, a pouch-like structure that constitutes the first portion of the large intestine and includes the appendix. The physicians considered various possible causes for the lesion in the cecum, including cancer, infections, and inflammatory conditions. While a lymphoma was at first suspected, further examination of the lesion suggested that it was instead caused by an inflammatory process. The final diagnosis was a periappendiceal (around the appendix) abscess with actinomycosis, a bacterial disease that causes noncontagious infections in the abdomen and other regions of the body. The patient was successfully treated with the medications metronidazole (Flagyl) and iodoquinol, which are used for intestinal infections. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Case studies, Infection, Metronidazole, Colon (Anatomy), Colon, Intestine, Large, Large intestine, Actinomycosis, Flagyl (Medication)

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A 33-year-old woman with exertional dyspnea and Raynaud's phenomena

Article Abstract:

A 33- year-old woman having difficulty breathing, dry cough and dizziness on exertion was admitted to the hospital. She experienced heightened sensitivity when exposed to cold and her fingers turned blue. The skin on her hands was dry and she complained of her mouth feeling dry and slow swallowing. She had been well until five years prior to this hospitalization when she began to have difficulty breathing and had a dry cough. Chest X-rays revealed abnormal fibrous lung tissue. Connective tissue diseases which affect collagen fibers in soft tissue were considered and, after further testing, the patient was diagnosed with scleroderma, a progressive connective tissue disease affecting the skin, lungs and possibly the esophagus. The patient was treated with penicillamine to improve lung function and diltiazem which dilates blood vessels and decreases Raynaud's syndrome symptoms of increased cold sensitivity. The patient is unable to work and remains at home on oxygen.

Research, Abnormalities, Diagnosis, Lungs, Skin, Scleroderma (Disease), Lung diseases, Interstitial, Interstitial lung diseases, Skin abnormalities, column, Mark, Eugene J., Lung biopsy, Kanarek, David J.

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