A 78-year-old woman from the Dominican Republic with chronic diarrhea

Article Abstract:

A case is described of a 78-year-old woman who had suffered from chronic diarrhea for eight years. Eating even a tiny amount of food would cause abdominal cramps, distention, and diarrhea. For this reason she had lost 40 pounds over the course of her illness and had recently developed confusion, chills and night sweats, and a dry cough. Shortly before she was admitted to the Massachusetts General Hospital, she flew to the United States from the Dominican Republic where she was a citizen. A thorough examination led physicians to rule out the possibilities of parasites, cancer and Crohn's disease. It was eventually determined that she had tropical sprue, an illness that is characterized by intestinal malabsorption and is found in central and northern South America, Asia, Africa and other specific locations. Scientists have not been able to identify the cause of tropical sprue, but it is thought that patients have been exposed to one or more infectious or environmental agents. This etiology would be consistent with the observation that severe epidemics of the disease have occurred in certain regions of the world. The course of the illness has also not been defined; some patients appear to recover spontaneously in a period of months, while others remain chronically ill if not treated. Tropical sprue may be treated with antibiotics such as tetracycline and the nutrient folic acid. This regimen was successful in the woman whose case is described; six months after treatment she continued to feel well, with normal bowel movements and a healthy appetite. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Celiac disease, Diarrhea, Malabsorption syndromes

---

A 63-year-old man with osteomalacia and the later development of a right nasal mass

Article Abstract:

A 63-year-old man went into the hospital because he had pains in the bones of his hips, buttocks, ribs and forearm and low levels of phosphates in his blood serum. Ten years prior he had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, a decrease in the activity of the thyroid gland, and he was treated with thyroid hormone. After examination and medical tests, he was diagnosed with osteomalacia, which is a condition where the bones are weakened by softening. Osteomalacia is the result of low levels of phosphorous and calcium in the blood, which are necessary for bone formation and maintenance. Osteomalacia can result from many diseases and can complicate many others. A large mass or cancerous growth was found in the patient's nasal passage, and this was thought to be responsible for the osteomalacia. The mechanism of how tumors cause osteomalacia is not known. In 93 percent of similar cases of osteomalacia, surgical removal of the tumor reversed the osteomalacia. The tumor was removed in the patient. Six months after the operation, the patient's serum phosphorus level was normal and he was free from pain.

Bone diseases, Nose cancer, Osteomalacia, Segre, Gino V., Dickersin, G. Richard

---

A 63-year-old woman with a polypoid nasal mass and a recent grand-mal seizure

Article Abstract:

A 63-year-old woman who had undergone coronary bypass surgery about a year before, was considered well until a general overall (grand-mal) seizure brought her to the hospital. There she had a computerized tomography (CT) brain scan, a detailed X-ray of internal structures, which revealed a tissue mass involving her nose, sinuses (ethmoid space) and brain. Clear fluid came out of her left nostril periodically. Two diagnoses were considered: nasal encephalocele, where part of the brain is pushed through an opening in the skull, or nasal glioma, a tumor made of neural cells. Surgery confirmed a nasal encephalocele and the patient remains on anticonvulsive treatment to prevent seizures.

Encephalocele, column, Black, Peter McL., Hedley-Whyte, E. Tessa

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: A 28-year-old Guatemalan woman with recurrent abdominal pain fever and diarrhea. Sudden onset of abdominal pain and hematemesis in a 56-year-old woman
• Abstracts: A 38-year-old Haitian woman with a cough, fever, and a right paratracheal mass. A 60-year-old man with a large right atrial mass
• Abstracts: A 53-year-old woman with cutaneous thickening and eosinophilia. A 74-year-old woman with subxiphoid pain and narrowing of the esophagus
• Abstracts: A 25-year-old Haitian man with chills, fever, abdominal pain, and renal failure. part 2 A 16-year-old boy with painful swelling of the left knee joint and calf
• Abstracts: Single-center comparison of results of 1000 prenatal diagnoses with chorionic villus sampling and 1000 diagnoses with amniocentesis

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