A rare association of intussusception and celiac disease in a child / Associação rara entre intussuscepção e doença celíaca em criança

ABSTRACT: CONTEXT: Intussusception is a common cause of acute intestinal obstruction in the pediatric population and it is normally idiopathic. Rare cases of chronic intussusception require investigation with greater attention. CASE REPORT: We present a clinical case of a three-year-old boy with aqueous diarrhea, abdominal distension, vomiting and weight loss over a two-month period. During the investigation, abdominal ultrasound showed imaging of intussusception. The intraoperative findings showed the intussusception had resolved spontaneously. In further investigation, it was found that the diarrhea was malabsorptive and, after the patient underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a diagnosis of celiac disease was made. After a gluten-free diet was introduced, the patient showed complete remission of symptoms and regained weight, and normal growth was reestablished. CONCLUSION: If the clinical presentation of intussusception is unusual, etiological investigation should be undertaken. In this case report, celiac disease was the underlying cause.

RESUMO: CONTEXTO: Intussuscepção é uma causa frequente de obstrução intestinal aguda em pacientes pediátricos, e geralmente é idiopática. Raros casos de intussuscepção crônica devem ser investigados com maior atenção. RELATO DE CASO: Apresentaremos um caso clínico de um menino de três anos com diarreia aquosa, distensão abdominal, vômito e perda de peso por dois meses, cuja investigação por ultrassonografia abdominal revelou imagem de intussuscepção. Os achados intraoperatórios mostraram que a intussuscepção havia se resolvido espontaneamente. Em investigação subsequente, foi identificado que a diarreia era malabsortiva e, após a realização de endoscopia digestiva alta, foi feito diagnóstico de doença celíaca. Foi iniciada dieta com restrição de glúten e o paciente teve remissão completa dos sintomas, recuperou peso e o crescimento foi restabelecido. CONCLUSÃO: Caso a apresentação clínica de intussuscepção não seja a habitual, deve-se prosseguir a investigação etiológica. No caso clínico apresentado, doença celíaca foi a causa subjacente.

A rare association of intussusception and celiac disease in a child.

CONTEXT:: Intussusception is a common cause of acute intestinal obstruction in the pediatric population and it is normally idiopathic. Rare cases of chronic intussusception require investigation with greater attention. CASE REPORT:: We present a clinical case of a three-year-old boy with aqueous diarrhea, abdominal distension, vomiting and weight loss over a two-month period. During the investigation, abdominal ultrasound showed imaging of intussusception. The intraoperative findings showed the intussusception had resolved spontaneously. In further investigation, it was found that the diarrhea was malabsorptive and, after the patient underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a diagnosis of celiac disease was made. After a gluten-free diet was introduced, the patient showed complete remission of symptoms and regained weight, and normal growth was reestablished. CONCLUSION:: If the clinical presentation of intussusception is unusual, etiological investigation should be undertaken. In this case report, celiac disease was the underlying cause.

Malnutrition causing neonatal dyslipidemia.

Lipid abnormalities in children have become more common in recent decades. This trend is related to the increase in overweight and obesity. The 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported that the percentage of risk for overweight and overweight in children aged > 6 years is 31%, higher than the previous surveys. Serum lipids tend to increase quickly up to 6 months of age and reach values very close to adult values by age 2. As suggested by the American Heart Association, serum lipid values for children and adolescents (2-19 years old) are considered abnormal when total cholesterol is >200 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein is <35 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein is >130 mg/dL, and triglycerides are >150 mg/dL. Dyslipidemia can be found in patients with malnutrition, a severe condition that needs prompt nutrition intervention. This report describes a case of malnutrition causing severe dyslipidemia in a newborn. Primary dyslipidemia was excluded by the presence of primary malnutrition, normal response to a postheparin lipoprotein lipase activity test, a favorable clinical course after nutrition intervention, and relatives' blood lipid levels close to normal that did not indicate familial dyslipidemia. The child was fed fat-free milk formula supplemented with medium-chain triglycerides and had adequate weight gain with a decrease in blood lipids. Subsequently the formula was changed to regular milk-based formula, and the child maintained adequate growth rate. Although blood lipids never returned to normal values for age and sex, they were lower than before treatment.