Ascites in a Young Woman: A Rare Presentation of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis

Introduction. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is a rare idiopathic disease that can affect one or more organs of the digestive tract. It has an estimated incidence of 1–20 cases per 100,000 patients. Klein et al. classified EGE into 3 subtypes: predominant mucosal, muscular, or subserosal. Clinic...

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Main Authors: Carina Santos, Francisco Morgado, Celestina Blanco, João Parreira, João Costa, Lara Rodrigues, Luís Marfull, Patrícia Cardoso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Gastrointestinal Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/1586915
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author Carina Santos
Francisco Morgado
Celestina Blanco
João Parreira
João Costa
Lara Rodrigues
Luís Marfull
Patrícia Cardoso
author_facet Carina Santos
Francisco Morgado
Celestina Blanco
João Parreira
João Costa
Lara Rodrigues
Luís Marfull
Patrícia Cardoso
author_sort Carina Santos
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is a rare idiopathic disease that can affect one or more organs of the digestive tract. It has an estimated incidence of 1–20 cases per 100,000 patients. Klein et al. classified EGE into 3 subtypes: predominant mucosal, muscular, or subserosal. Clinical Case. We report a case of a 32-year-old woman, who presented with diffuse abdominal pain, nausea, postprandial infarction, diarrhea, and moderate ascites of three-week evolution. The rest of physical examination did not show alterations. The past medical history was unremarkable. Laboratory test results revealed peripheral blood eosinophilia. Abdominal CT scan revealed diffuse and concentric parietal thickening of the distal 2/3 of esophagus, moderate volume ascites, and small bowel wall thickening and distension on the left quadrants. The paracentesis revealed 93.3% of eosinophils. The colon biopsies evidenced an increase in the number of eosinophils. Secondary causes of eosinophilia were excluded. The patient was treated with oral prednisolone 40 mg/day with immediate clinical and analytical improvement. Conclusion. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare condition with a nonspecific and highly variable clinical presentation, which requires a high level of clinical suspicion. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. Secondary causes of eosinophilia such as intestinal tuberculosis, parasitosis, and malignant neoplasms should be excluded.
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spelling doaj-art-52d41f3da5dd4e02b6d55d8f86d679482025-08-20T02:05:11ZengWileyCase Reports in Gastrointestinal Medicine2090-65282090-65362018-01-01201810.1155/2018/15869151586915Ascites in a Young Woman: A Rare Presentation of Eosinophilic GastroenteritisCarina Santos0Francisco Morgado1Celestina Blanco2João Parreira3João Costa4Lara Rodrigues5Luís Marfull6Patrícia Cardoso7Department of Internal Medicine, Radiology, University Hospital Center “Sousa Martins”, Guarda, PortugalDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radiology, University Hospital Center “Sousa Martins”, Guarda, PortugalDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radiology, University Hospital Center “Sousa Martins”, Guarda, PortugalDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radiology, University Hospital Center “Sousa Martins”, Guarda, PortugalDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radiology, University Hospital Center “Sousa Martins”, Guarda, PortugalDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radiology, University Hospital Center “Sousa Martins”, Guarda, PortugalDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radiology, University Hospital Center “Sousa Martins”, Guarda, PortugalDepartment of Internal Medicine, Radiology, University Hospital Center “Sousa Martins”, Guarda, PortugalIntroduction. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is a rare idiopathic disease that can affect one or more organs of the digestive tract. It has an estimated incidence of 1–20 cases per 100,000 patients. Klein et al. classified EGE into 3 subtypes: predominant mucosal, muscular, or subserosal. Clinical Case. We report a case of a 32-year-old woman, who presented with diffuse abdominal pain, nausea, postprandial infarction, diarrhea, and moderate ascites of three-week evolution. The rest of physical examination did not show alterations. The past medical history was unremarkable. Laboratory test results revealed peripheral blood eosinophilia. Abdominal CT scan revealed diffuse and concentric parietal thickening of the distal 2/3 of esophagus, moderate volume ascites, and small bowel wall thickening and distension on the left quadrants. The paracentesis revealed 93.3% of eosinophils. The colon biopsies evidenced an increase in the number of eosinophils. Secondary causes of eosinophilia were excluded. The patient was treated with oral prednisolone 40 mg/day with immediate clinical and analytical improvement. Conclusion. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare condition with a nonspecific and highly variable clinical presentation, which requires a high level of clinical suspicion. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. Secondary causes of eosinophilia such as intestinal tuberculosis, parasitosis, and malignant neoplasms should be excluded.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/1586915
spellingShingle Carina Santos
Francisco Morgado
Celestina Blanco
João Parreira
João Costa
Lara Rodrigues
Luís Marfull
Patrícia Cardoso
Ascites in a Young Woman: A Rare Presentation of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
Case Reports in Gastrointestinal Medicine
title Ascites in a Young Woman: A Rare Presentation of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
title_full Ascites in a Young Woman: A Rare Presentation of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
title_fullStr Ascites in a Young Woman: A Rare Presentation of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
title_full_unstemmed Ascites in a Young Woman: A Rare Presentation of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
title_short Ascites in a Young Woman: A Rare Presentation of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
title_sort ascites in a young woman a rare presentation of eosinophilic gastroenteritis
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/1586915
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