Are elevated systemic bile acids involved in the pathophysiology of sarcopenia and liver injury following gastric bypass?

Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective treatment for sustained weight loss in severe obesity. However, recent data describe the development of liver damage and in particular massive steatosis and cholangitis in some patients, for which certain pathophysiological mechanisms are suggested such as bacterial overgrowth, malabsorption or sarcopenia. We describe the case of a patient presenting with a new liver dysfunction 6 years after a gastric bypass. The work-up revealed sarcopenic obesity characterised by low muscle mass and low muscle function as well as elevated fasting bile acids, severe liver steatosis and cholangitis. The pathophysiology of this disease is complex and multifactorial but could include bile acid toxicity. Bile acids are increased in cases of liver steatosis, but also in cases of gastric bypass and malnutrition. In our opinion, they may contribute to the loss of muscle mass and the vicious circle observed in this situation. Treatment with enteral feeding, intravenous albumin supplementation and diuretics reversed the liver dysfunction and the patient was discharged from hospital.

Umbilical spider's web.

Question: We report the case of a 38y old woman who consulted for chronic diffuse abdominal pain related to previous irritable bowel syndrome diagnosis. Physical examination showed nonblanching reddish hyperpigmented reticular peri-umbilical skin patch (figure 1). What's your diagnosis? Answer: The diagnosis of erythema ab igne was made. Additional investigations confirmed repeated use of hot water bottles applied on abdominal wall for 3 weeks overnight for pain relief. Erythema ab igne is a pathognomonic cutaneous presentation of long-lasting exposure to heat sources (1). The pathophysiology of erythema ab igne remains uncertain. It has been suggested that heat exposure damages dermal vascular plexus and subsequent hemosiderin deposition leading to spider's web-like hyperpigmentation. Differential diagnosis of peri -umbilical dermatological manifestations includes digestive-related entities as caput medusae's sign (related to portal hypertension), Cullen's sign or Walzel's sign (related to acute pancreatitis); and non-digestive-related entities such as livedo reticularis (2). Erythema ab igne is well known from the dermatologists, mostly located on the lower limbs due to prolonged close exposition to heaters or on thighs due to laptop batteries (3). Erythema ab igne is usually of benign course, most often self-resolving after heat exposure discontinuation (3). We believe that it is of paramount to take into consideration the patients' pain and to propose an adapted management to avoid self-treatment.

[STRICTURING CROHN'S DISEASE: CLINICAL FEATURES, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT]. / LA MALADIE DE CROHN STÉNOSANTE: Présentation clinique, diagnostic et modalités de traitement.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease which mainly affects young people. This disease evolves in successive steps and is often complicated by strictures which express characteristic signs of occlusive syndrome, more often in case of ileal than colonic involvement. The nature and localisation of strictures should be precisely defined by different techniques like endoscopy, entero-(colo)-scanner or entero-(colo)-MRI. This work-up is essential to best adapt the therapeutic care. Indeed, the fibrosing evolution of inflammatory strictures causes medical treatment's failure which may lead to endoscopic dilatation or surgical resection. To avoid this negative evolution, it is mandatory to adopt early therapeutic strategy to control inflammation.