No abstract available.
Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia* ; Scrub Typhus*

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystemic disease that can affect most organ system, although gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations are relatively uncommon. Protein losing enteropathy (PLE) is associated with several clinical disorders, but it is an unusual manifestation of SLE. Of over 20 reported cases of PLE associated with SLE, the pathogenesis of lupus associated PLE remains unclear. We describe a patient with edema, diarrhea, abdomianl pain, and hypoalbuminemia who had been diagnosed SLE. PLE was diagnosed by the method of alpha1-antitrypsin clearance in stool.
Diarrhea ; Edema ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Protein-Losing Enteropathies*

Critical Illness ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Serum Albumin ; metabolism

BACKGROUND: Hypoalbuminemia is the well- known marker of morbidity and mortality in the dialysis population. An albumin concentration at a single time point may not be of help in predicting the outcome of an individual patient. The direction of change over time may offer better prediction. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the trends in serum albumin concentration over time. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 61 patients. Additionally 24 patients were excluded in this study with an admission history during last one year and clinically apparent acute/chronic infection. The albumin slope (AS: g/dL/mon) was obtained from monthly measured serum albumin levels from September 2001 to August 2002 by method of least squares. RESULTS: AS was negatively correlated with hs- CRP (r=-0.530, p=0.000) and positively correlated with TCO2 (r=0.272, p=0.034), but not correlated with age, dialysis duration, wKt/V, nPCR and Hb. When the studied population was divided according to the albumin slope to group I (n=45, AS > or =+0.01, lASl <0.01) and group D (n=16, AS < or =-0.01), dialysis duration was longer and iPTH was higher in the group I than in group D (52.3+/-40.3 vs 32.8+/-18.9, p<0.05; 98.1+/-110.9 vs 46.4+/-30.7, p<0.01, respectively). AS was higher in group I than in group D (0.015+/-0.012 vs -0.026+/-0.023, p<0.001); hs-CRP tended to be higher in group D but did not reach statistical significance (1.78+/-2.81 vs 0.44+/-1.08; p=0.08). When it comes to Ca, P, Mg and TCO2, there was no difference between the groups. Compared to initial 3 months, last 3 months showed a significant increase of serum creatinine (10.3+/-3.0 vs 10.9+/-2.8, p<0.01) and a significant decrease of serum TCO2 (23.7+/-3.2 vs 20.8+/-2.2, p<0.001) in group I with no change in group D. CONCLUSION: Slope of albumin over time, even if its degree is clinically negligible, can offer valuable information about the patient's status that is not apparent.
Creatinine ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Mortality ; Renal Dialysis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin

The nephrotic syndrome is characterized by generalized edema, hypoproteinemia(<2 g/dL), proteinuria(>40 mg/m2/hr), and hypercholesterolemia(>200 mg/dL). It is reported that hypoalbuminemia, which is one of the four diagnostic criteria of the nephrotic syndrome, is associated with gallbladder wall thickening. An explanation for the thickened wall in hypoalbuminemic states is the accumulation of fluid in the subserosal layer of the gallbladder wall which contains the most areolar tissue. This report describes a patient who was initially diagnosed with the nephrotic syndrome at the age of 4 and subsequently developed acute acalculous cholecystitis at the age of 5.8 with an albumin level of 1.3 g/dL. The patient responded to fluid therapy, nasogastric suction, and broad spectrum antibiotics.
Acalculous Cholecystitis* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Edema ; Fluid Therapy ; Gallbladder ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Nephrotic Syndrome* ; Suction

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare disorder of unknown origin that is pathologically characterized by marked infiltration of eosinophils in the wall of the gastrointestinal tracts. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is often classified according to the layer of the bowel wall involved. We experienced two cases of eosinophilic gastroenteritis. One case having whole small bowel wall involvement resulting in small bowel obstruction and eosinophilic ascites underwent bowel resection followed by oral steroid treatment. The other case having mucosal layer involvement with chronic diarrhea and hypoalbuminemia was treated with oral corticosteroid and responded dramatically. In addition, we report one case of hypereosinophilic syndrome involving the gastrointestinal tracts. The patient presented with abdominal pain, ascites, and urticaria. and also showed good response to oral steroid.
Abdominal Pain ; Ascites ; Diarrhea ; Eosinophils* ; Gastroenteritis* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome* ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Urticaria

Primary idiopathic polymyositis is a condition of presumed autoimmune etiology in which the skeletal muscle is damaged by a nonsuppurative inflammatory process dominated by lymphocytic infiltration. We recently experienced a patient with primary idiopathic Polymyositis associated with hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia. About 4 months prior to admission, he was diagnosed as primary idiopathic polymyositis, and improved by treatment with prednisolone 60 mg/day. During steroid tapering, muscle weakness was recurred and accompanied by hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia. Despite retreatment with prednisolone 60 mg/day, muscle weakness, hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia persisted. He was then started to administer methotrexate(MTX) 15 mg/week which resulted in prompt improvement of muscle weakness, hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia. These findnigs suggest that primary idiopathic polymyositis is one of the cause of hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia, and that the hypoalbuminemia and thrombocytopenia can be improved promptly by methotrexate treatment.
Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia* ; Methotrexate ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Polymyositis* ; Prednisolone ; Retreatment ; Thrombocytopenia*

Angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia (AFLNH) with well marginated lymphoid masses, is a rare benign disease of unknown etiology. The majority of the disease develop intrathoracically. Histologically this disease can be divided into the hyaline-vascular and the plasma cell types with the hyaline-vascular type prevailing. The plasma cell variant has been associated with nephritic syndrome, anemia, growth failure, fever, hyperglobulinemia, peripheral neuropathy, and hypoalbuminemia. Surgical resection is known to be treatment of choice in most cases, and radiotherapy is reserved for advanced, unresectable lesions. We report a complete remission of AFLNH in a case treated by surgical excision followed by irradiation.
Anemia ; Fever ; Giant Lymph Node Hyperplasia ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Lymph Nodes* ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Plasma Cells ; Radiotherapy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Leukocytosis and hypoalbuminemia are known to be poor prognostic factors. The aim of this study was to determine how the leukocyte counts and albumin level are related to the colonic endoscopic findings. METHODS: Fifty three pseudomembranous colitis (PMC) patients confirmed by a lower endoscopy were analyzed. Endoscopic degree of pseudomembranous plaque was classified into four grades. The endoscopic severity was classified into two groups (group A: G I~II, group B: G III~IV). RESULTS: The mean age was 64.9 years, the mean onset of diarrhea after exposure to antibiotics was 12.9 days, the reasons for admission were medical (58.5%, 31) and surgical (41.5%, 22). Frequently the causative antibiotic was cephalosporin (81.1%, 43/53), and the mean WBC counts and albumin level were 13,045/mm3 and 3.13 g/dL, respectively. The endoscopic degrees of PMC was grade I (9.4%, 5), grade II (32.1%, 17), grade III (41.5%, 22), and grade IV (17%, 9). The patients' WBC counts and albumin level were not associated with the endoscopic severity. The age, gender, causative antibiotics, diabetes showed no correlation. CONCLUSIONS: There were no correlations between the known poor clinical prognostic factors (leukocystosis and hypoalbuminemia) and the endoscopic severity.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Colitis* ; Colon ; Diarrhea ; Endoscopy ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Leukocyte Count ; Leukocytosis

The causes of hypocalcemia in patients suffering from severe infection including sepsis are largely uncertain. So we measured serum albumin, total protein, cholesterol, PTH, and calcitonin of the infection-associated hypocalcemic children and compared with those of normocalcemic children suffering from tsutsugamushi disease. All had normal renal functions and had been admitted to the department of pediatrics of Gyeongsang National University Hospital. Hypocalcemic patients were hypoalbuminemic. Serum total calcium was inappropriately more decreased compared to the decreased amount of serum albumin in the hypocalcemic group. We also observed more frequent incidence of hypocholesterolemia (<100mg/dL) in this group. And serum PTH was appropriately elevated in the hypocalcemic patients. Serum calcitonin was elevated in both groups, but 6 times higher in the hypocalcemic group than in the normocalcemic one. Serum total calcium was positively correlated with serum albumin and negatively correlated with serum PTH and calcitonin.
Calcitonin ; Calcium ; Child ; Cholesterol ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Hypocalcemia* ; Incidence ; Pediatrics ; Scrub Typhus ; Sepsis ; Serum Albumin