ABSTRACT
Pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. Although diarrhea is the most common manifestation, PMC may be associated with intraperitoneal fluid accumulation in the severe cases. And a few cases showing both ascites and pleural effusion have been reported in patients with PMC. We report a case of PMC who showed elevated serum and ascites levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) with a normal CEA level in pleural effusion and who successfully recovered after oral administration of metronidazole. After treatment, the serum CEA level returned to the reference range.
Subject(s)
Humans , Administration, Oral , Ascites , Carcinoembryonic Antigen , Diarrhea , Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous , Metronidazole , Mortality , Pleural Effusion , Reference ValuesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) has been reported to be high in patients with atherosclerotic peripheral artery disease (PAD) in lower extremities. Various inflammatory markers have been known to be associated with CAD. The aim of study was to explore the role of inflammatory makers for CAD in patients with PAD. METHODS: A total of 346 PAD patients (71.51+/-9.41 years, 337 males) who underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty from June 2006 to April 2012 were included in this study. Patients were divided into the Group I (PAD with CAD: n=151, 149 males) and the Group II (PAD without CAD: n=195, 188 males). RESULTS: Among 346 patients, 149 patients had CAD (43.6%). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) (p=0.023) and smoking (p=0.010) were significantly higher in the group I when compared withthe group II. The level of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) increased (p or =3.0 mg/dL) (OR=2.595, 95% CI: 1.548-4.350, p<0.001), and age (OR=0.645; 95% CI, 0.454-0.915; p=0.014) were independent predictors for the development of CAD in PAD patients. CONCLUSION: 43.6% of patients with PAD also had CAD, and the predictors of CAD were smoking, DM, and high level of hs-CRP.