Danny Oksenberg R

Heparina e insulina en el tratamiento de la pancreatitis aguda por hipertrigliceridemia: experiencia en 5 casos

Background: Hypertriglyceridemia over 1,000 mg/dl can provoke acute pancreatitis and its persistence can worsen the clinical outcome. On the contrary, a rapid decrease in triglyceride level is beneficial. Plasmapheresis has been performed in some patients to remove chylomicrons from the circulation, while heparin and/or insulin have been administered in some other cases to rapidly reduce blood triglycerides. Heparin and insulin stimulate lipoprotein-lipase activity and accelerate chylomicron degradation. Aim: To report five patients with acute pancreatitis treated with heparin and insulin. Patients and methods: Five patients (4 females and 1 male) seen in the last two years, who suffered acute pancreatitis induced by hypertriglyceridemia are reported. Initial blood triglyceride levels were above 1,000 mg/dl (range 1,590-8,690 mg/dl). Besides the usual treatment of acute pancreatitis, heparin and/or insulin were administered intravenously in continuous infusion. Heparin dose was guided by usual parameters of blood coagulation, and insulin dose, by serial determinations of blood glucose. Pancreatic necrosis was demonstrated in 4 patients. Results: Serum triglyceride levels decreased to <500 mg/dl within 3 days in all cases. No complication of treatment was observed and all patients survived. Early and late complications of pancreatitis occurred in one patient. Conclusion: Administration of heparin and/or insulin is an efficient alternative to reduce triglyceride levels in patients with acute pancreatitis and hypertriglyceridemia (Rev Med Chile 2001; 129: 1373-8)

Obesidad: factor de riesgo para esteatohepatitis y fibrosis hepática

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) has been recognized as a cause of chronic liver disease. Its main risk factor is obesity. Aim: To describe the clinical and liver pathological findings in a group of patients who underwent surgery as obesity treatment. Patients and Methods: Sixty eight patients with severe or morbid obesity were subjected to surgery as obesity treatment. Each patient was evaluated with a complete clinical and laboratory medical assessment. A wedge of liver was excised during surgery. Liver biopsies were analyzed without knowledge of clinical and laboratory findings. The presence of steatosis, inflammation (portal or lobular), fibrosis and cirrhosis were recorded in the pathological analysis. Age and body mass index (BMI) were correlated with pathological data. Significance was set at a p value of less than 0.05. Results: Ninety one percent of patients had steatosis, 45% inflammation and 47% fibrosis. One patient had cirrhosis (1,4%). There was a statistically significant association between BMI and moderate or severe steatosis (p <0.03). There was also an association between BMI and portal (p=0.017) and lobular inflammation (p=0.034). A BMI over 40 kg/m2 (morbid obesity) was significantly associated with the presence of fibrosis (p=0.032). Moreover, the presence of moderate or severe steatosis was a risk factor for the development of hepatic fibrosis (p=0.026). Conclusions: Obesity is a major and independent risk factor for steatohepatitis and fibrosis. The degree of steatosis in the liver biopsy, is a risk factor for the development of fibrosis (Rev Med Chile 2002; 130: 731-6)

Candidiasis esofágica en pacientes inmunocompetentes: Estudio clínico e inmunológico

Background: Esophageal candidiasis is associated with conditions that cause an immune depression. It is a defining disease for AIDS, is observed in poorly controlled diabetics, in patients with renal or hepatic failure, in patients with cancer and in subjects using medications causing immunosuppression or broad spectrum antimicrobials. Aim: To report the features of 10 immunocompetent patients with esophageal candidiasis. Patients and methods: Six males and four females aged between 48 and 82 years, without conditions associated with immunosuppression, in whom an esophageal candidiasis was found on an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Delayed skin hypersensitivity to eight antigens, Iymphocyte subpopulations, yeast phagocytosis and neutrophil chemotaxis were measured. Results: Six patients had a low CD4 Iymphocyte count and seven had a low CD8 count. Seven patients were anergic on skin hypersensitivity challenge. Yeast phagocytosis was abnormal in one patient and neutrophil chemotaxis was abnormal in two. Humoral immunity was normal in all subjects. All patients were treated with oral fluconazole in doses of 150 mg/day for 14 days, with complete resolution of candidiasis in all. Conclusions: Patients with esophageal candidiasis, have frequent alterations of cellular immunity, that must be diagnosed and treated (Rev Med Chile 2004; 132: 1389-94). (Key Words: Candidiasis, esophageal; Immunity, cellular; Immunocompetence)

Cirrosis biliar primaria: experiencia de trece años en dos centros de referencia

Background: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic disease, which can progress to hepatic failure. Aim: To study the clinical presentation, pathological features, treatment and outcome of a group of patients with PBC. Material and methods: Retrospective review of medical records of 115 patients (110 females, age range 30-76 years) with PBC. Clinical presentation, pathological stage, treatment, outcome and eventual use of liver transplantation, were recorded. Result: Seventy eight percent of patients were symptomatic at presentation (itching in 69% and malaise in 62%). Antimitochondrial antibodies were positive in 56%. No clinical or laboratory differences were observed between symptomatic patients or those with positive antimitochondrial antibodies and the rest of the study group. Sjogren syndrome was present in 38%, hypothyroidism in 13%, scleroderma in 7% and rheumatoid arthritis in 5%. Initially, 61% had fibrosis and/or cirrhosis, and ursodeoxycholic acid was indicated in 94% of the patients. Fifteen patients underwent liver transplantation due to upper digestive bleeding or itching. Survival has been 67% at 36 months after transplantation. In one transplanted liver, PBC recurred. Conclusions: An early diagnosis and treatment of a progressive disease such as PBC will reduce the incidence of complications and the use of costly treatments

Daño hepático por fármacos: características clínicas e histológicas en 33 casos

Background: Drug induced liver disease (DILD) is common and of difficult diagnosis. Aim: To report the clinical, laboratory and pathological findings in 33 patients with DILD. Patients and methods: We revised 1,164 liver biopsies and 57 were selected as suspicious of DILD. In these, the scale proposed by Maria et al was applied to assess the possibility of hepatotoxicity reactions and 33 were selected. Results: The 33 cases had a mean age of 48±18 years and 14 were male. Forty eight medications were involved, with an average of 1.4 drugs per patient. The main drugs were antimicrobials, antineoplastics-immunosuppresives and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. The clinical presentations in order of frequency were cholestasis, hepatitis, asymptomatic, fulminant hepatitis and cirrhosis. The laboratory alterations observed in cases with hepatitis were 20 fold transaminase and bilirubin elevation. In cholestasis, moderate elevations of alkaline phosphatases and gamma glytamyl transferase were observed. Pathology showed hepatocellular damage, cholestasis and mixed damage, but also submassive necrosis and cirrhosis in one case. Conclusions: The present study confirms that DILD is frequently unpredictable and that it can cause a wide variety of clinical and pathological presentations, that can even evolve to chronicity (Rev Med Chile 2003; 131: 1128-34). (Key Words: Drug hypersensitivity; Drug toxicity)

SEGUIMIENTO ENDOSCÓPICO E HISTOLÓGICO POST ABLACIÓN CON ARGÓN PLASMA DEL ESÓFAGO DE BARRETT EXTENSO EN PACIENTES SOMETIDOS A TRATAMIENTO QUIRÚRGICO PREVIO

Argon plasma ablation of extensive Barrett esophagus. Experience in 19 patients Background: Endoscopic argon plasma ablation of Barrett esophagus decreases the risk of future esophageal cancer development. aim: To assess the endoscopic regression of columnar epithelium and the presence of intestinal metaplasia among patients operated for Barrett esophagus and subjected to argon plasma ablation. Patients and methods: In 19 patients with extensive Barrett esophagus subjected to a nissen fundoplication, Barrett esophagus was endoscopically ablated with argon plasma. Patients were assessed 6 and 12 months after surgery to evaluate the regression of columnar epithelium and the presence of intestinal metaplasia. results: One, two and three ablation sessions were carried out in 10, three and six patients, respectively. Three patients had complications. The initial length of columnar epithelium segment was 52 ± 15.6 mm and decreased to 22.6 ± 10.6 mm (p < 0.05). In 12 patients, there was absence of intestinal metaplasia on follow up, in six it persisted (one of them with “buried cells”) and in one patient, dysplasia appeared. conclusions: Endoscopic argon plasma ablation may have a complementary therapeutic role for the regression of columnar epithelium in Barrett esophagus.

Insuficiencia renal aguda en hepatitis aguda no fulminante causada por virus a: Caso clínico y revisión de la literatura

La insuficiencia renal aguda es una complicacion excepcional de la hepatitis A no fulminante. Esta asociacion ha sido comunicada en alrededor de 30 casos en la literatura, la mayoria proveniente de pacientes japoneses. El proceso exacto a traves del cual el virus de la hepatitis A (VHA) produce dano renal es incierto, pero se han postulado varios mecanismos patogenicos, como glomerulonefritis por complejos inmunes, toxicidad por hiperbilirrubinemia, sindrome hepatorrenal, nefritis intersticial aguda y necrosis tubular aguda isquemica, siendo este ultimo el mas frecuentemente demostrado en los casos en que se ha realizado biopsia renal. Nosotros reportamos el primer caso en Chile de insuficiencia renal aguda no oligurica, en un paciente hombre de 16 anos, cursando una hepatitis no fulminante por el VHA, de muy buena evolucion espontanea, sin requerir dialisis, y en el que no se realizo biopsia renal, por coagulacion incompatible y rapida mejoria.