Late diagnosis of light chain (AL) amyloidosis can lead to catastrophic consequences on the quality of life of affected patients and overall disease prognosis. Therefore, clinicians should have high suspicion and recognize clinical red flags for amyloidosis. This case report presents a 65-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with chronic diarrhea and significant weight loss with significant hypotension. The patient was treated four weeks prior to admission with a five-day course of nitrofurantoin for urinary tract infection. The initial workup was positive for Clostridium difficile(C.diff), which was treated medically; however, the patient started to complain of mild shortness of breath accompanied by mildly elevated brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Later on, the patient had a cardiac arrest and was appropriately resuscitated. Subsequent ECHO showed significant left ventricular hypertrophy, raising high suspicion of myocardial infiltration. Because of persistent diarrhea despite aggressive medical management and an inconclusive workup, the patient underwent colonoscopy with duodenum biopsy, which revealed amyloid deposition confirmed by Congo red staining. The patient afterward suffered from a stroke and recurrent syncopal episodes requiring critical care admission. Due to a compromised quality of life, the patient eventually opted for hospice care. In view of insufficient prospective data spotlighting AL amyloidosis, all patients should be treated within clinical trials whenever possible and ideally evaluated for autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) eligibility.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9365329 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.26757 | DOI Listing |
J Ethnopharmacol
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China. Electronic address:
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Changyanning tablets (CYN) are a marketed traditional Chinese medicine composed of Diijincao (Euphorbia humifusa Willd.), Jinmaoercao (Hedyotis chrysotricha (Palib.) Merr.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogens
January 2025
Ist Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, "Pius Brinzeu" County Clinical Emergency Hospital, 300723 Timisoara, Romania.
(1) Background: This study aimed to assess the association between inflammatory biomarkers and gastrointestinal side effects in HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), with a specific focus on the impact of type II diabetes. (2) Methods: A total of 320 participants were divided into three groups: 120 HIV-positive without diabetes, 80 HIV-positive with type II diabetes, and 120 controls. Biomarkers such as CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α, along with gastrointestinal symptoms, were measured before and six months after ART.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroorganisms
January 2025
Hepatogastroenterology Unit, 2nd Department of Internal Propaedeutic Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University General Hospital, 12462 Athens, Greece.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Its pathogenesis involves multiple factors, including visceral hypersensitivity and immune activation. NLRP3 inflammasome is part of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLR) family, a crucial component of the innate immune system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports
January 2025
Laboratory of Helminthology, Faculty of Microbiology, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
Cestodes of the genus Spirometra are multi-host parasites that are the causative agents of spirometrosis in domestic and wild carnivores and sparganosis in humans, endemic diseases in tropical and subtropical regions. In domestic animals, the infection is usually asymptomatic or produces gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and chronic diarrhoea. In humans, an incidental parasitosis develops where the plerocercoid can lodge in tissues and cause a variety of symptoms, including neuropathies, blindness, paralysis, and death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLancet Infect Dis
January 2025
Institute of Pathology, University of Brescia-ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
Human intestinal spirochaetosis is caused by the colonisation of the luminal membrane of the colon and rectum by anaerobic spirochaetes belonging to the genus Brachyspira. The common method used for its diagnosis is routine haematoxylin and eosin staining of colonic and rectal biopsy samples. The clinical spectrum of human intestinal spirochaetosis is heterogeneous, ranging from asymptomatic colonisation to symptoms such as chronic mucosal diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, and abdominal pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!