Prashanth Rawla

Review of Infectious Etiology of Acute Pancreatitis.

While gallstones and alcoholism are widely known to be the most common causative agents of acute pancreatitis, about 10% of cases are thought to be caused by infectious microorganisms. These microorganisms include viruses (e.g. mumps, Coxsackie B, and hepatitis), bacteria (e.g. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and leptospirosis), and parasites (e.g. Ascaris lumbricoides, Fasciola hepatica, and hydatid disease). Each organism causes acute pancreatitis through diverse mechanisms. The review is primarily conducted in an attempt to provide a better understanding of the possibility of acute pancreatitis presenting as a complication relating to these organisms, and the aim is to guide future diagnoses, management, and predictions of complications.

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis: a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EDKA) is a clinical triad comprising increased anion gap metabolic acidosis, ketonemia or ketonuria and normal blood glucose levels <200u2009mg/dL. This condition is a diagnostic challenge as euglycemia masquerades the underlying diabetic ketoacidosis. Thus, a high clinical suspicion is warranted, and other diagnosis ruled out. Here, we present two patients on regular insulin treatment who were admitted with a diagnosis of EDKA. The first patient had insulin pump failure and the second patient had urinary tract infection and nausea, thereby resulting in starvation. Both of them were aggressively treated with intravenous fluids and insulin drip as per the protocol for the blood glucose levels till the anion gap normalized, and the metabolic acidosis reversed. This case series summarizes, in brief, the etiology, pathophysiology and treatment of EDKA. Learning points: Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis is rare. Consider ketosis in patients with DKA even if their serum glucose levels are normal. High clinical suspicion is required to diagnose EDKA as normal blood sugar levels masquerade the underlying DKA and cause a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. Blood pH and blood or urine ketones should be checked in ill patients with diabetes regardless of blood glucose levels.

Splenic Infarct and Pulmonary Embolism as a Rare Manifestation of Cytomegalovirus Infection

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a type of herpes infection that has a characteristic feature of maintaining lifelong latency within the host cell. CMV manifestations can cover a broad spectrum from fever to as severe as pancytopenia, hepatitis, retinitis, meningoencephalitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, pneumonia, and thrombosis. Multiple case reports of thrombosis associated with CMV have been reported. Deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism is more common in immunocompetent patients while splenic infarct is more common in immunocompromised patients. However, here we report a female patient on low-dose methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis who presented with both pulmonary embolism and splenic infarct.

Gastric Outlet and Duodenal Obstruction as a Complication of Migrated Gastrostomy Tube: Report of Two Cases and Literature Review

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a well-recognized procedure for providing enteral feeding and long-term enteral nutritional support. Although it is mostly well tolerated, complications, sometimes mechanical in nature, do occur. Rare, and often initially unrecognized, late complications of PEG tube placement are gastric outlet obstruction and duodenal obstruction. Simple adjustment of the gastrostomy tube will lead to the improvement of the patient’s clinical condition and prevent further complications. Physicians should be aware of and suspect gastric outlet and duodenal obstruction as rare late complications of PEG tube placement. Simple adjustment of the gastrostomy tube can resolve the problem without unnecessary medical tests and overly aggressive care. Here, we present two interesting cases of elderly women who developed mechanical obstruction after inadvertent migration of the gastrostomy tube.

Hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis: updated review of current treatment and preventive strategies

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is an uncommon but well-established cause of acute pancreatitis (AP) comprising up to 7% of the cases. The clinical course of HTG-induced pancreatitis (HTGP) is highly similar to that of AP of other etiologies with HTG being the only distinguishing clinical feature. However, HTGP is often correlated with higher severity and elevated complication rate. At present, no approved treatment guideline for the management of HTGP is available, although different treatment modalities such as insulin, heparin, fibric acids, and omega 3 fatty acids have been successfully implemented to reduce serum triglycerides (TG). Plasmapheresis has also been used to counteract elevated TG levels in HTGP patients. However, it has been associated with complications. Following the management of acute phase, lifestyle modifications including dietary adjustments and drug therapy are essential in the long-term management of HTGP and the prevention of its relapse. Results from studies of small patient groups describing treatment and prevention of HTGP are not sufficient to draw solid conclusions resulting in no treatment algorithm being available for effective management of HTGP. Therefore, prospective randomized, active-controlled clinical studies are required to find a better treatment regimen for the management of HTGP. Until date, one randomized clinical trial has been performed to compare clinical outcomes of different treatment approaches for HTGP. However, further studies are required to outline a generalized and efficient treatment regimen for the management of HTGP.

Update in global trends and aetiology of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary cancer of the liver responsible for an increasing number of cancer-related deaths, especially in developing economies of Asia and Africa. A plethora of risk factors have been described in the literature. Some of the important ones include chronic viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, environmental toxins such as aflatoxin, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, lifestyle factors like alcohol consumption, smoking, and dietary factors, metabolic diseases like diabetes mellitus and obesity, and genetic and hereditary disorders. The development of HCC is complex involving sustained inflammatory damage leading to hepatocyte necrosis, regeneration, and fibrotic deposition. It also poses multiple challenges in diagnosis and treatment despite advances in diagnostic, surgical, and other therapeutic advancements. This is a narrative review of findings of multiple studies that were retrieved from electronic databases like PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Cochrane. We summarise the current knowledge regarding the epidemiology and various risk factors for the development of HCC with a brief note on various prevention strategies.

Updated review of current pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of irritable bowel syndrome

ABSTRACT Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually associated with chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. The two spectra of the disease include constipation‐predominant IBS and Diarrhea‐predominant IBS. Earlier it was thought to be an unexplained brain‐gut disorder, but of late, various underlying causes suggesting primary gut disturbance have been identified. The initial management primarily includes the non‐pharmacological measures such as dietary modifications, increasing physical activity, and psychological therapy. Pharmacological management is adjunct to non‐pharmacological management, and the drug is chosen based on the predominant symptom of bowel habit whether constipation or diarrhea. In this review, we aim to update the readers on the currently available management options in the treatment of IBS – both pharmacological and non‐pharmacological options. Further, for the various pharmacological treatments, we summarize the clinical pharmacology, indications, contraindications, adverse effects and use in pregnancy.

Chilaiditi Syndrome Complicated by Cecal Perforation in the Setting of Scleroderma

Chilaiditi syndrome is a very rare disorder characterized by abdominal pain due to the entrapment of the colon between the liver and the diaphragm. However, it is rare to have bowel perforation as a complication of this syndrome with only 2 cases reported to date. In this article, we present the case of a 56-year-old woman with medical history of scleroderma who presents with abdominal pain and was found to have colonic perforation from Chilaiditi syndrome. She was also incidentally found to have cecal adenocarcinoma. Sometimes abdominal pain in patients with Chilaiditi syndrome may be more than benign and calls for increased attention from clinicians regarding this.

Valvular involvement in granulomatosis with polyangiitis: Case report and systematic review of literature

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a systemic inflammatory condition; however, patients with GPA rarely experience endocardial valve lesions.

Severe Acute Pancreatitis as an Index Clinical Manifestation of Parathyroid Adenoma

Hypercalcemia due to primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism is a rare and obscure cause of acute pancreatitis. Although a rare occurrence to begin with, hyperparathyroidism commonly manifests with symptoms of hypercalcemia. Thus, it would reason that a patient might develop pancreatitis by way of hypercalcemia due to primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism. We present a case of an 88-year-old female with acute pancreatitis and only after an extensive work-up, was it determined that her severe acute pancreatitis resulted from primary hyperparathyroidism caused by a left parathyroid adenoma.