ABSTRACT
Hypereosinophilic syndrome is a disease that presents with a variety of symptoms caused by an abnormal rise in eosinophils in the blood and infiltration into various organs. Typical symptoms include skin symptoms and diarrhea. Diagnosis may be difficult because of the self-limiting phases of the disease with various symptoms. In addition, diagnosis may be delayed by the presence of rare concomitant symptoms, such as muscle pain and numbness. Here, we report the case of a 67-year-old patient with asymptomatic hypereosinophilia with chronic diarrhea, acute-onset weakness, and myalgia. We diagnosed eosinophilic gastroenteropathy, chronic urticaria, and eosinophilic myositis through multiple biopsies of the skin and colon. This case shows that chronic hypereosinophilic syndrome can be exacerbated transiently with acute symptoms and that prompt examination and treatment of hypereosinophilic syndrome based on the involved organs is recommended in a background of eosinophilia.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder (EoGID) is an emerging disease condition in Korean children, but its diagnosis requires invasive endoscopic biopsies. Fecal calprotectin (FCal) is a noninvasive biomarker for intestinal inflammation to differentiate organic gastrointestinal diseases from functional abdominal pain disorder. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of FCal and to determine the optimal cutoff to differentiate EoGID from functional abdominal pain disorder. METHODS: A total of 253 children (122 boys, 131 girls; mean age 12.2 ± 3.6, range 2.9-17.8 years) who underwent endoscopy with biopsies for chronic gastrointestinal symptoms were recruited, except for 38 children diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, and divided into EoGID (n = 67) and functional abdominal pain disorder (n = 186). FCal, white blood cell (WBC) counts, eosinophil counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured in all subjects at initial diagnosis. RESULTS: FCal levels weakly correlated with WBC (r = 0.127, P = 0.044) and CRP (r = 0.126, P = 0.040) but not with ESR and eosinophil count. FCal levels were significantly higher in the EoGID group than in the functional abdominal pain disorder group (mean 179.5 ± 242.9 mg/kg vs. 44.3 ± 68.1 mg/kg; P < 0.001), while WBC, ESR, CRP, and eosinophil count did not differ between the two groups (all P > 0.05). An optimal cutoff of FCal 73.2 mg/kg distinguished EoGID from functional abdominal pain disorder with a sensitivity of 50.7% and a specificity of 84.6%. CONCLUSION: FCal is a useful and reliable noninvasive marker for differentiating EoGID from functional abdominal pain disorder in Korean children with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms when optimal cutoffs are applied.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers/analysis , Feces/chemistry , Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/diagnosis , Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex/analysis , Abdominal Pain/etiology , Adolescent , Area Under Curve , C-Reactive Protein/analysis , Child , Child, Preschool , Eosinophils/cytology , Female , Humans , Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/complications , Intestinal Mucosa/pathology , Leukocyte Count , Male , ROC Curve , Republic of Korea , Retrospective Studies , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
Bee pollen is given to children by mothers in order to strengthen their immune systems. There are no studies related with the side effects of bee polen in the literature. In this article, the literature was reviewed by presenting a case of allergic eosinophilic gastropathy related with bee polen. A 5-year old child was admitted due to abdominal pain. Edema was detected on the eyelids and pretibial region. In laboratory investigations, pathology was not detected in terms of hepatic and renal causes that would explain the protein loss of the patient diagnosed with hypoproteinemia and hypoalbuminemia. Urticaria was detected during the follow-up visit. When the history of the patient was deepened, it was learned that bee pollen was given to the patient every day. The total eosinophil count was found to be 1 800/mm(3). Allergic gastroenteropathy was considered because of hypereosinophilia and severe abdominal pain and endoscopy was performed. Biopsy revealed abundant eosinophils in the whole gastric mucosa. A diagnosis of allergic eosinophilic gastropathy was made. Bee polen was discontinued. Abdominal pain and edema disappeared in five days. Four weeks later, the levels of serum albumin and total eosinophil returned to normal.