Necrosis cutánea en paciente con hepatitis crónica C / Cutaneous necrosis in patient with chronic hepatitis

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Fibrosis hepática tras tratamiento con psicofármacos / Hepatic fibrosis after antidepressant treatment

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[Good's syndrome and chronic diarrhea]. / Síndrome de Good y diarrea crónica.

Good's syndrome is an infrequent disorder associated with humoral immunodeficiency and thymoma. Patients usually present severe or chronic infections. The most frequent are sinopulmonary infections sometimes associated with bronchiectasias. Another complication is chronic diarrhea, frequently associated with malabsorption, which can be due to a mucosal lesion, infection with gastrointestinal pathogens, or bacterial overgrowth. We describe a patient with Good's syndrome and chronic diarrhea due to bacterial overgrowth.

[Acute recurring pancreatitis due to gastric duplication]. / Pancreatitis aguda recidivante por duplicación gástrica.

We report the case of a young female patient with a gastric duplication communicating with the pancreas, which manifested clinically as episodes of acute relapsing pancreatitis. We analyze the diagnostic procedures and treatment methods, and review similar cases reported in the literature.

[The histological lesions of chronic hepatitis C as predicting factors of sustained response to the treatment with interferon]. / Las lesiones anátomo-patológicas de la hepatitis crónica C como factores predictivos de respuesta mantenida al tratamiento con interferón.

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have been implemented in order to determine the pre-treatment factors that can predict patients' response to interferon (IFN) therapy, it is not yet clear whether characteristic histologic abnormalities in chronic hepatitis C can predict such response. AIMS: The aim of this study were to evaluate, in patients with chronic hepatitis C, (i) the predictive value of histologic lesions for the sustained response to IFN therapy (ii) other pre-treatment (epidemiological and analytical) factors known to be predictive of response. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sustained response was retrospectively evaluated in two hundred one patients who had been treated with IFN for at least 3 months in four different hospitals from Castilla y León. The following histological parameters were studied as predictors of response: histological diagnosis, Knodell index, grading and stage, characteristic histologic lesions of HCV infection. Epidemiological and analytical parameters were also evaluated. RESULTS: The rate of patient's sustained response to IFN treatment was 16%. None of the histological parameters was useful to predict this response. By univariate analysis, age, disease evolution time, mode of viral transmission, GGT, ferritin and viral genotype were associated with a sustained response. The most powerful, and only independent predictive factor, however, was the genotype (the response odds ratio was 8.6). CONCLUSIONS: Histological parameters do not predict the response to IFN treatment. Other factors (mainly the viral genotype) are associated with a higher response percentage, although no one is useful to decide which patients are going to respond.

Las lesiones anátomo-patológicas de la hepatitis crónica C como factores predictivos de respuesta mantenida al trata miento con interferón / The histological lesions of chronic hepatitis C as predicting factors of sustained response to the treatment with interferon

Introducción: Aunque se han realizado múltiples estudios para conocer los factores pre-tratamiento que pueden predecir la respuesta al tratamiento con interferón (IFN), se desconoce si las lesiones histológicas características de la hepatitis crónica C (HCC) sirven para predecir dicha respuesta. Objetivos: Valorar si los parámetros histológicos pueden predecir la respuesta mantenida al tratamiento con IFN en los pacientes con HCC, y estudiar otros parámetros (epidemiológicos y analíticos) ya descritos como factores predictivos de respuesta. Métodos: Se estudiaron de forma retrospectiva 201 pacientes, tratados con IFN durante al menos 3 meses en cuatro hospitales de Castilla y León. La variable dependiente analizada fue la respuesta mantenida al tratamiento. Como factores predictivos de respuesta se estudiaron las siguientes variables histológicas: diagnóstico histológico, índice de Knodell total y por apartados, grado y estadio, y lesiones características de la HCC. Además, se analizaron parámetros epidemiológicos y analíticos. Resultados: El 16 por ciento de los pacientes presentó una respuesta mantenida. Ninguno de los parámetros histológicos sirvió para predecir dicha respuesta. Demostraron ser factores predictivos en el análisis bivariante la edad, el tiempo de evolución de la HCC, la vía de transmisión, la GGT, la ferritina y el genotipo viral. El factor predictivo más importante fue el genotipo viral, y el único asociado independientemente a la respuesta mantenida ("odds ratio" de respuesta al tratamiento de 8,6). Conclusiones: Los parámetros histológicos no predicen la respuesta al tratamiento con IFN. Otros factores, fundamentalmente el genotipo viral, se asocian a un mayor porcentaje de respuestas, aunque ninguno sirve para decidir con exactitud qué pacientes responderán. (AU)

[Acute hepatitis due to ingestion of Teucrium chamaedrys infusions]. / Hepatitis aguda por ingestión de infusiones con Teucrium chamaedrys.

Herbal remedies, used for many years for therapeutic purposes, have traditionally been considered safe and effective. Herbal medicine toxicity has been infrequently reported in Spain. We present two cases of acute hepatitis after ingestion of herbal infusions over a period of several months. Among the plants consumed was Teucrium chamaedrys (germander), which has been associated with several cases of hepatotoxicity, mainly in France. After ruling out other causes of hepatitis, we consider that Teucrium chamaedrys provoked the disease. One patient presented acute, cholestatic hepatitis and another presented mixed (hepatocellular and cholestatic) hepatitis. In both patients, the disease was resolved after discontinuing the intake of the herbal teas. We believe that herbal medicine toxicity may be increasing due to the growing consumption of these products. Finally, we emphasize the need to rule out the intake of herbal remedies in patients whose liver tests present abnormalities.

[Sinusoidal portal hypertension secondary to nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver]. / Hipertensión portal sinusoidal secundaria a hiperplasia nodular regenerativa hepática.

Regenerative hepatic nodular hyperplasia is infrequent and generally appears in association with many other diseases, the most frequent being the Felty syndrome. It may cause portal hypertension and variceal bleeding. A histologic study is necessary for diagnosis since certain biologic data and the nodular appearance of the hepatic surface may be confused with hepatic cirrhosis from which it may basically be, apart from the histologic features, distinguished by its good prognosis due to the absence of liver failure. We present the case of a seropositive patient with regenerative hepatic nodular hyperplasia and rheumatoid arthritis with marked portal hypertension shown in the hemodynamic study performed by our department for presentation of a persistent elevation in transaminases and ultrasonography alterations suggesting hepatic cirrhosis.

Idiopathic portal hypertension and angiosarcoma associated with arsenical salts therapy.

We describe a 60-year-old man with idiopathic portal hypertension and hepatic angiosarcoma. The patient had taken an arsenical preparation for the treatment of psoriasis for 10 years. Five cases of this association have been reported previously; in one only, exposure to arsenical salts was present.

[Malignant lymphoproliferative neoplasms and chronic hepatitis C virus infection]. / Neoplasias linfoproliferativas malignas e infección crónica por el virus del la hepatitis C.

It has been suggested that chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection predisposes to the development of benign and malignant lymphoproliferative disorders. We present 2 cases of malignant lymphoproliferative neoplasias (a non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL] and a chronic lymphoid leukemia [CLL]) associated to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). The possible etiological role of HCV in the development of these tumors is discussed.

Influence of the transmission route and disease duration in the histopathology of chronic hepatitis C: a study of 101 patients.

OBJECTIVE: Different studies have demonstrated that factors such as transmission route, disease duration and age at the time of infection can influence the histological evolution of chronic hepatitis by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aim of this study was to determine if epidemiological factors such as disease duration and transmission route influence the severity of the histological lesions of patients with chronic hepatitis by HCV. DESIGN: A prospective study. METHODS: The hepatic biopsies of 101 patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis by HCV were studied. The patients were divided into three groups according to transmission mode: (1) post-transfusional (n = 28), (2) associated with the use of drugs by parenteral route or intravenous drug use (n = 28), and (3) sporadic hepatitis (n = 45). RESULTS: We found more severe forms of hepatopathy in post-transfusional hepatitis and sporadic groups than in the intravenous drug user group of patients. The disease evolution time was significantly higher in patients diagnosed as having chronic active hepatitis with or without cirrhosis (13.8 +/- 9 years) than in patients with chronic persistent hepatitis (8 +/- 4 years), P < 0.01. We found a significant correlation between the evolution time of the infection by HCV and the Histology Activity Index (P < 0.01). The multivariate analysis showed that only the transmission route and the disease evolution time are predictive variables of Histology Activity Index in chronic hepatitis C. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the post-transfusional and sporadic transmission routes and a greater evolution time of the disease are epidemiological variables that are associated with the presence of more severe histological lesions in chronic hepatitis C.

[Idiopathic portal hypertension, multiple focal nodular hepatic hyperplasia, the CREST syndrome and protein S deficiency]. / Hipertensión portal idiopática, hiperplasia nodular focal hepática múltiple, síndrome de CREST y déficit de proteína "S".

A 54 year old woman with idiopathic portal hypertension, CREST syndrome, protein "S" deficiency and multiple focal nodular hyperplasia is reported. The patient presented several episodes of upper digestive bleeding due to portal hypertension gastropathy and to esophageal varices. Treatment with propanolol and isosorbide 5-mononitrate failed to control recurrent bleeding and a portacaval shunt was performed. At operation, ten hepatic nodes were found, being diagnosed as focal nodular hyperplasia in the pathologic study. Congestive gastropathy, esophageal varices and splenomegaly disappeared after portacaval shunt and bleeding did not recur after a follow-up of twelve months. This results support the role of portal decompressive surgery in the bleeding due to portal hypertension gastropathy.