Created by HELENE MOULIN on Jul 18, 2017 4:57:08 PM, Last modified by HELENE MOULIN on Jul 18, 2017 5:13:52 PM
Clinical information
A 45-year old HIV-positive man
presented with severe dehydration and a 30-pound weight loss following several
months of profuse watery diarrhea.He
had a 9-year history of HIV infection, but maintained stable CD4 counts on HAART,
and had no known opportunistic infections.He also carried a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis that was made 12
months prior to presentation. Symptoms initially improved with Asacol and
prednisone, but he continued to have intermittent diarrhea. Three months prior
to presentation, the patient developed severe diarrhea following a 5-day trip
to Peru and was empirically treated for amebiasis. Symptoms improved upon
treatment, but recurred following cessation of therapy. At the time of admission,
the patient was thin and wasted, but had no localizing symptoms. Labs included
a normal hematocrit, normal white blood cell count with a slight eosinophilia,
and a negative C. difficile toxin
assay and stool cultures. Endoscopic examination of the upper and lower GI
tract revealed a slightly irregular Z-line, but no other abnormalities, and
biopsies of the stomach, esophagus, ileum, and colon were normal.These biopsies are from the duodenum.