Lobo Antunes, Maria and Cabral, Gonçalo and Tavares, Raquel and Noronha, Carla and Araújo, José (2017) Going Round in Circles with a Multisystemic Disease: A Unique Case of Parasitic Aortitis. European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine, 4 (6). ISSN 2284-2594
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Abstract
Aortitis results from aortic inflammation, frequent causes being infections and rheumatological disorders. The authors report the case of a 33-year-old black male with recent arterial hypertension, who presented with recurrent abdominal pain, jaundice, anorexia, weight loss and diarrhoea. Laboratory work-up was compatible with inflammatory anaemia and obstructive jaundice, while abdominal imaging revealed a dilated biliary tract, no visible gallstones, cephalic pancreatic globosity and aortic thickening. Pancreatic aspirate was negative for malignant cells, bacteria and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The jaundice spontaneously subsided and the pancreatic globosity improved over time. Following positive PPD and IGRA, isoniazid was started. However, follow-up investigations revealed a severe bulbar stenosis with intense eosinophilic infiltrate, multiple non-necrotizing granulomas, and thoracic and abdominal aortitis not previously recognized. Immunological profile (ECA, ANCA and IgG4), eggs and parasites in stool samples were negative. The multisystemic disease, with an insidious and migrating behaviour, gastrointestinal and vascular involvement, granulomatous inflammatory response and tissue eosinophilia, raised the suspicion of a parasitic infestation (despite negative screening) or vasculitis. After 7 days of empirical treatment with albendazole and ivermectin, the patient passed a specimen of Ascaris lumbricoides in the stool and improved clinically.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Aortitis; Ascaris lumbricoides |
| Subjects: | 600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici) |
| Depositing User: | Chiara D'Arpa |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Nov 2017 16:34 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Nov 2017 16:34 |
| URI: | http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/16726 |
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