Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis in a Child with Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome: a case report / Trombose Venosa Cerebral na apresentação de Síndrome Nefrótica Pediátrica: caso clínico

ABSTRACT Complications are rare in pediatric cases of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (NS). Thromboembolism ranks among the most uncommon and difficult complications to diagnose, particularly in the first episode of NS, since clinical signs might be unspecific. This report describes the case of a 5-year-old girl with NS for the first time presenting with severe hypoalbuminemia (< 2g/dL). The patient responded poorly to therapy with corticosteroids. On day 8 of hospitalization she started having headaches and vomiting; she did not present hemodynamic alterations, fever or exanthems, and her neurological parameters were normal. The patient was suspected for intracranial hypertension, and computed tomography scans revealed she had cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). She was started on anticoagulants and showed clinical signs of improvement. The patient had no evident prothrombotic risk factors. She had three other episodes since she was diagnosed, one in which her plasma antithrombin level was low. Although antithrombin levels were normal in her first episode, she was tested after the resolution of proteinuria. The low levels of antithrombin seen in the first recurrence might have mirrored the initial drop in plasma antithrombin levels, an idea supported by the severe hypoalbuminemia she had when diagnosed. This severe manifestation of acquired thrombophilia might be in the origin of CVST. This report presents a rare case of thromboembolic complication in a pediatric patient with NS. The patient progressed well since she was started on anticoagulants. Although she did not present any evident risk factors at first, the development of her case indicated that severe acquired thrombophilia might have worked as the pathophysiological mechanism leading to CVST.

RESUMO A Síndrome Nefrótica (SN) idiopática em crianças pode, raramente, complicar-se. O tromboembolismo é uma das complicações mais raras, principalmente no primeiro episódio, e de diagnóstico mais difícil, uma vez que a clínica pode ser inespecífica. Descrevemos o caso de uma criança de 5 anos com episódio inaugural de SN, destacando-se hipoalbuminemia inicial grave (< 2g/dL). Apresentou fraca resposta inicial à corticoterapia e, após 8 dias de internamento, iniciou quadro de cefaleias e vômitos, sem alterações hemodinâmicas, sem febre, sem exantema e com exame neurológico normal. Perante a suspeita de hipertensão intracraniana, foi realizada TC-CE, que mostrou trombose venosa cerebral (TVC). Foi então iniciada terapêutica anticoagulante com posterior boa evolução clínica. Trata-se de uma criança sem fatores de risco pró-trombóticos evidentes. Desde o diagnóstico, teve 3 recaídas, uma das quais com níveis baixos de antitrombina, que no episódio inaugural eram normais, apesar de avaliados já numa fase não proteinúrica. Suspeita-se, assim, que esse déficit plasmático em antitrombina na recaída poderá mimetizar a queda plasmática inicial, hipótese também apoiada pela hipoalbuminemia grave ao diagnóstico. Esta trombofília grave adquirida poderá ter sido mecanismo etiológico para a trombose venosa cerebral. O interesse deste caso prende-se com a raridade de complicações tromboembólicas na SN Pediátrica, ainda mais raras no episódio inaugural. Nesse caso, a boa evolução foi possível após a associação da terapêutica anticoagulante. Embora sem fatores de risco iniciais evidentes, a evolução do caso permitiu a suspeita de uma trombofília adquirida grave como mecanismo fisiopatológico do tromboembolismo cerebral.

Obesity, ostearthritis and clinical treatment

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between BMI and pain and function in patients with OA undergoing medical treatment following OARSI recommendations. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients were classified according to their arthritis degree by X-ray and body mass index (BMI). All patients completed the WOMAC, Lequesne, and visual analogue pain scale (VAS) questionnaires at baseline and after six months treatment. All patients were treated with diacerhein and analgesics (according to pain), orthotics (when indicated), and an educational program on osteoarthritis. They were instructed on balanced diet and exercise at least three times a week. RESULTS: There was no significant BMI variation in this study. The higher the initial BMI, the lower the improvement in pain (p = 0.03). Pain did not improve significantly (p = 0.2). Function improved (p <0.001) in inverse ratio to the initial BMI. CONCLUSION: BMI determines how patients will improve pain and function. .