RESUMO
Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is one of the rare gastrointestinal manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which can manifest several years before the diagnosis of SLE. PLE should be suspected in patients with hypoalbuminemia in the absence of urinary protein loss and normal liver functions without any other manifestations of malnutrition. Due to the non-specificity of the imaging and histological findings, it is difficult to diagnose PLE in resource-limited settings. Thus, it is underdiagnosed. We report the case of a 38-year-old Sri Lankan (South Asian) female who is a diagnosed patient with hypothyroidism and has presented with worsening generalized body swelling and ascites for two months. She had hypoalbuminemia without proteinuria. Thus, the clinical diagnosis of PLE was suspected. The diagnosis of SLE was suspected because of significant alopecia, high titer (1:1000) antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity, and hypocomplementemia. Though confirmatory tests such as Tc-99 albumin scintigraphy and stool alpha-1 anti-trypsin were not available in our resource-limited setting, the diagnosis of the SLE-associated protein-losing enteropathy was made as the patient fulfilled the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) criteria for SLE and also by excluding all the other possible causes of PLE.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition with exertional heat stroke occurring frequently among soldiers and athletes. Because of its common occurrence, many military trainees practice preventive measures prior to any activity requiring severe exertion. Although it is said to be common in practice, different presentations of heat stroke are scarcely described in literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of an exertional heat stroke in a 23-year-old male Sinhalese soldier who developed early changes of renal failure, liver failure and rhabdomyolysis. The patient initially presented with convulsions, delirium and loss of consciousness to an outside health care facility before being transferred to our institution. CONCLUSION: It is clear that heat stroke does occur in military trainees while preventive strategies are being practiced. It is important for those who provide healthcare to soldiers to provide proper advice on how to identify impending heat stroke prior to any exercises resulting in severe physical exertion. Further, treating physicians should educate all military trainees about preventive strategies.
