Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0020639 (hypoproteinemia)
 1,134 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Twelve patients who underwent laparotomy for suspected acute appendicitis were found to have Crohn's disease of the terminal ileum. Appendectomy was performed in all although in only four patients was the appendix grossly inflamed. Postoperative complications, either abscess or fistula, developed in four patients (33%). Careful investigation of the records revealed some preoperative diagnostic clues: a history of recurrent abdominal pain and/or diarrhea (83%), physical examination revealing normal temperature (50%), and laboratory results compatible with a chronic process such as microcytic anemia (33%) and hypoproteinemia/hypoalbuminemia/hypocholesterolemia (50%). As the differential diagnosis between Crohn's disease and appendicitis is difficult and the surgical approach to the appendix in the presence of Crohn's disease is controversial, we illuminate some practical points in the preoperative evaluation of these patients and deal with the question of whether appendectomy should be performed in these patients.
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PMID:Preoperative clues to Crohn's disease in suspected, acute appendicitis. Report of 12 cases and review of the literature. 129 36

A 32-year-old man with an 18-year history of protein losing enteropathy (PLE) was admitted to hospital for abdominal distention. On physical examination, he had massive pleural effusion, ascites and edema of the right leg, but no superficial lymphadenopathy or organomegaly. Laboratory studies revealed mild microcytic anemia and hypoproteinemia. alpha 1-antitrypsin clearance was elevated (316 ml/day). Examination of ascites disclosed numerous lymphoblastoid cells of B cell phenotype with mu chain and lambda light chain of immunoglobulin (Ig) in the cytoplasm. Southern blot analysis showed monoclonal rearrangement of mu chain and lambda chain genes. No evidence of lymphomatous involvement of lymph nodes and non-lymphoid organs was found by CT scan, ultrasound echography and gallium scan of the chest and abdomen. Bone marrow biopsy was negative. Thus, a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) stage IVB limited in the pleural and peritoneal cavities was made. He was treated with the combination chemotherapy of BACOD with high dose ara-C or methotrexate followed by 4 doses of autologous LAK cell infusion resulting in no significant response. The massive pleural effusion, ascites and edema of the leg have not been improved. We consider this to be a rare case of NHL associated with PLE which is extremely resistant to chemotherapy or LAK therapy.
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PMID:[Non-Hodgkin lymphoma associated with a long history of protein losing enteropathy]. 262 5