Internal medicine
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Review Case Reports
Primary Aldosteronism Presenting with Hypertension Five days after Delivery: A Case Report and Literature Review.
A 35-year-old Japanese woman with no history of hypertension developed hypertension 5 days after normal delivery. Endocrinological and radiological examinations indicated primary aldosteronism (PA) and a 1.4-cm left adrenal tumor. ⋯ Cases of PA presenting with hypertension in the postpartum period have been reported. This case suggests that PA should be considered in women with postpartum hypertension, especially in those with blood pressure that suddenly increases shortly after delivery, even if they were normotensive before and throughout pregnancy.
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Case Reports
An Autopsy Case of Disseminated Varicella Zoster Virus Infection During the Treatment of Nephrotic Syndrome.
A 68-year-old woman developed systemic blisters while receiving treatment for nephrotic syndrome. As she also developed marked liver dysfunction and disseminated intravascular coagulation, she was admitted to our hospital. ⋯ A post-mortem examination showed micro-abscesses and necrosis caused by varicella zoster infection in multiple organs, including the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. Because VZV infection can become severe in immunocompromised patients, careful consideration is needed for the prevention and treatment of the viral infection.
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A 49-year-old Japanese man had shown developmental delay, learning difficulties, epilepsy, and slowly progressive gait disturbance in elementary school. At 46 years old, he experienced repeated drowsiness with or without generalized convulsions, and hyperammonemia was detected. Brain magnetic resonance imaging detected multiple cerebral white matter lesions. ⋯ Genetic tests confirmed a diagnosis of hyperornithinemia-hyperammonemia-homocitrullinuria (HHH) syndrome. Leukoencephalopathy was resolved following the administration of L-arginine and lactulose with a decrease in plasma ammonia levels and glutamine-glutamate peak on magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Leukoencephalopathy in HHH syndrome may be reversible with the resolution of hyperammonemia-induced glutamine toxicity.
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Behçet disease and its related disorder, Sweet disease, are multifactorial disorders whose susceptibility loci have been identified in the genes of various immunological factors aside from human leukocyte antigens. The neurological involvement of these diseases, including encephalitis, myelitis, and meningitis, referred to as neuro-Behçet disease (NBD) and neuro-Sweet disease (NSD) respectively, is sometimes difficult to diagnose, especially when the characteristic mucocutaneous symptoms do not precede neurological symptoms or when characteristics of both diseases are present in a single patient. ⋯ Encephalitis, myelitis, and meningitis similar to NBD or NSD can be diagnosed as spectrum disorders, even if the characteristic mucocutaneous symptoms fail to be detected. Understanding these conditions as a disease spectrum may help elucidate the disease pathogenesis and assist in the development of therapeutic agents.