Successful treatment of massive ascites due to lupus peritonitis with hydroxychloroquine in old- onset lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is an auto-immune disease with multiple organ involvements that occurs mainly in young women. Literature data suggest that serositis is more frequent in late-onset SLE. However, peritoneal serositis with massive ascites is an extremely rare manifestation.

Late-onset systemic lupus erythematosus-associated primary biliary cirrhosis.

Background: The development of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) during the course of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is extremely rare. We report the case of a geriatric woman who was diagnosed with SLE at 69 years of age then with primary biliary cirrhosis one year later.

Case Presentation: A 70-years-old woman, who had been diagnosed with SLE at 69 years, was admitted for further examination of liver dysfunction.

[Duodenal ulcer disease and Ramadan].

Ramadan fasting is accompanied by an increase of the gastric acidity over 24 hours especially in the daytime. Gastric acidity is maximal at the end of the fasting day. So, a patient with duodenal ulcer is exposed to a high risk of disease reactivation.

Clarithromycin versus metronidazole in first-line Helicobacter pylori eradication. Prospective randomized study of 85 Tunisian adults.

Background: Although primary resistance to metronidazole remains high (56,8%), it is more widely used than clarithromycin as a firstline Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) treatment in the common Tunisian practice.

Aim: To compare the eradication rate in two protocols including clarithromycin versus metronidazole in Tunisian adults.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in elderly patients in a Tunisian hospital: A retrospective study.

Background And Study Aims: The older age group presents a major problem in the management of acute gastrointestinal bleeding with a relatively high mortality. The study aims to describe the background characteristics, causes and outcome of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding in the elderly in Tunisia.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data of 401 patients aged≥60 years presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

[Bowel preparation before colonoscopy].

Colonoscopy is a routinely performed procedure in adults. Completion of the procedure and proper visualization of the intestinal mucosa are highly dependent on the quality of the bowel preparation. The ideal bowel preparation should be safe, well-tolerated and effective.

Cholestatic hepatitis related to amoxicillin.

While it is well recognized that the combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid has been associated with hepatic adverse events, there are only a few reports about amoxicillin alone causing hepatic toxicity. We describe a 34-year-old woman who developed severe cholestatic hepatitis following amoxicillin treatment.

[Role of Helicobacter pylori infection in iron deficiency anemia].

Anemia induced by digestive diseases refers to anemia due to iron deficiency. Conventional gastrointestinal diagnostic workup fails to establish the cause of iron deficiency in about one third of patients. Abnormal iron absorption is increasingly recognized as an important cause of unexplained iron deficiency.

Prevalence of celiac disease in Tunisian blood donors.

Objectives: Prevalence of adult celiac disease is unknown in Tunisia. Symptomatic forms are less frequent than silent forms, which, according to recent serological screening in Europe and the United States, have an estimated prevalence of 1/100 to 1/500. We aimed to determine the prevalence of celiac disease in healthy blood donors in Tunisia.