Generalized edema and hypoalbuminemia are relatively common presenting manifestations in many clinical situations. The differential diagnosis of hypoalbuminemia include: Kwashiorkor, synthetic dysfunction of the liver, and excessive protein loss as in nephrotic syndrome. In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), hypoalbuminemia and generalized edema are most commonly due to protein loss associated with lupus nephritis; gastrointestinal involvement is uncommon, and therefore protein loss through the gastrointestinal tract is quite rare. We report a case of a protein losing enteropathy (PLE) associated with SLE. The patient was referred to our hospital for generalized edema, arthralgia and facial rash. After clinical evaluation, the patient met the criteria for the SLE diagnosis; hypoalbuminemia with general edema was consistent with a protein losing enteropathy. After two weeks of therapy with parenteral high dose glucocorticoid, the patients was improved in laboratory findings as well as clinical symptoms.
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A Case of Protein Losing Enteropathy as Only Clinical manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Tae Hyun Kim, Yu Hee Choi, Lae Hyung Kang, Hyeong Jin Kim, Jin Ho Jang, Min Wook So Kosin Medical Journal.2017; 32(1): 84. CrossRef
This report concerns an unusual case of acute postoperative pulmonary edema without any apparent causes in a 45-year-old man. The patient was subjected to the removal of a previously placed device on the left tibia, and the excision of a benign mass on the right forearm. Unexpected acute bilateral pulmonary edema occurred immediately after the completion of the procedures. The etiologies were reviewed in relation to the patient's condition and clinical manifestations. Fluid overloading was excluded as a cause in view of the patient's perioperative state and postoperative chest X-ray results. We could not find any symptoms of upper airway obstruction during emergence from general anesthesia. We had doubts about tourniquet or fentanyl-induced pulmonary edema, but these factors were not sufficient to bring about pulmonary edema in this case. To our knowledge, the cause of acute pulmonary edema in this case is indeterminate.
Ischemia results when the decrease in tissue perfusion exceeds the tissues ability to increase an oxygen extraction from the blood. Brain edema has been defined as an abnormal accumulation of fluid within brain parenchyma associated with a volumetric enlargement of the brain tissue. In most instances, the labelling of edema as vasogenic or cytotoxic is only relative. For cerebral protection, there were many possible techniques which could increase or maintain cerebral perfusion and reduce cerebral metabolic demand for oxygen. This study was carried out the effect of mild Brain hypothermia which was induced by infusion with cold saline into the carotid artery, during brief episodes of transient global ischemia on postischemic brain edema in rabbit. Eight rabbits were anesthetized with halothane and mechanically ventilated with oxygen. For isolated cerebral perfusion, polyethylene catheter was inserted left carotid artery for infusion of cold saline, external carotid artery was ligated, vertebral arteries were cauterized, right carotid artery was snared for ischemia and femoral artery and vein were also cannulated for monitoring and drug treatment. At 3 hours after transient global ischemia, specific gravity of cerebral cortex and hippocampus was compared with no-perfusion group, perfusion with cold saline group and normal group. There was no significant differences in physiologic variables among the groups before transient global ischemia. But during transient global ischemia, brain temperature of perfusion group was decreased when compared to no perfusion group. Specific gravity of cerebral cortex and hippocampus of no-perfusion group and perfusion group was statistically significant when compared to normal group (p<0.01). The results of this study suggested that mild brain hypothermia with intracarotid cold saline infusion during brief episodes of transient global ischemia had decreased postischemic brain edema in rabbit.