Hepatitis A is typically a self-limited acute illness that does not progress to chronic hepatitis. In rare cases, acute hepatitis A can be associated with serious complications (such as fulminant hepatitis or acute kidney injury) and may result in death or liver transplantation. Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare hematologic disorder characterized by anemia, reticulocytopenia in the blood, and isolated erythroblastopenia with normal granulopoiesis and megakaryopoiesis in the bone marrow. PRCA is a rare hematopoietic complication of acute viral hepatitis, and few cases associated with hepatitis A virus infection have been reported. Recently, we experienced a case of severe hepatitis A complicated by fulminant hepatitis and acute kidney injury followed by PRCA which showed a favorable response to oral corticosteroids.
Acute Disease ; Acute Kidney Injury/etiology ; Adult ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Bone Marrow/pathology ; Female ; Hepatitis A/complications/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Prednisone/therapeutic use ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy

Macroenzymes are high molecular weight complexes formed in the serum by self-polymerization or by association with other proteins. Macroenzymes are filtered with difficulty by normal renal glomeruli. Clinically, it is important to detect macroenzymes, because they frequently interfere with the interpretation of serum enzyme results, and as a result they can cause diagnostic and therapeutic errors. Macroamylasemia and macrolipasemia have been found to occur in apparently healthy humans, as well as in a variety of disease states, including liver disease, diabetes, cancer, malabsorption, and autoimmune disorders. We report a patient with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and macroamylasemia and macrolipasemia, the latter two of which were discovered using a screening test.
Alcoholics ; Humans ; Hyperamylasemia ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic ; Liver Diseases ; Mass Screening ; Molecular Weight ; Proteins

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate the risk factors for biliary pancreatitis according to severity. METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed 58 patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for the management of acute biliary pancreatitis between November 2001 and June 2004. The severity of pancreatitis was classified as severe or mild pancreatitis according to the Glasgow scale. Multiple clinical and radiological factors were analyzed for a relationship with the severity of pancreatitis and coexisting biliary pathology. RESULTS: Ten patients (17%) had severe pancreatitis (the SP group) and the remaining 48 patients (83%) had mild pancreatitis (the MP group). The diameter of the common bile duct CBD) and cystic duct, and the number and the size of gallstones were not significantly different between the two groups of patients. The number of patients without a periampullary diverticulum in the SP group (90.0%) was significantly higher than in the MP group (39.6%). Most of the SP patients (90.0%) had CBD stones (<5 mm) or CBD sludge, but the prevalence of CBD stones (<5 mm) or CBD sludge was lower in the MP group (54.2%, p=0.04). The absence of a periampullary diverticulum was identified as a risk factor according to severity by the use of logistic regression analysis (odds ratio=25; p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The development of severe biliary pancreatitis was influenced by risk factors such as a CBD stone less than 5 mm or sludge and the absence of a periampullary diverticulum.
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Diverticulum ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Pancreatitis* ; Pathology ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Sewage

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recently, due to the adoption of a Western lifestyle, the incidence of colonic diverticulosis is increasing in the Korean population. The purpose of this study is to review the prevalence and clinical characteristics of colonic diverticulosis as diagnosed by a colonoscopic examination. METHODS: We retrospectely analyzed the medical records of 3,352 patients that had undergone a colonoscopy from 1 January 2002 to 31 July 31 2005. We recorded the extent (1, 2~5, 6>) and the location of a diverticulum. We also reviewed the medical records of the patients that had symptoms and other clinical features. RESULTS: A total of 2,831 patients were selected. The overall prevalence of colonic diverticulosis was 10.1%; the mean patient age was 53+/-11 years and the ratio of males to females was 2.3:1. A diverticulum occurred more frequently in the right side colon (79.0%) than the left side colon (13.9%). The most common symptom was abdominal pain (63.5%). Complications were diverticulitis (2.0%) and bleeding (0.3%). The prevalence of a colon polyp was 39.1% and the prevalence of a fatty liver was 26.4% in the diverticular patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of colonic diverticulosis is increasing in the Korean population and a diverticulum occurred more frequently in the right side colon.
Abdominal Pain ; Colon* ; Colonoscopy ; Diverticulitis ; Diverticulosis, Colonic* ; Diverticulum ; Fatty Liver ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Life Style ; Male ; Medical Records ; Polyps ; Prevalence*

PURPOSE: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) accounts for approximately 75% of all cases of childhood leukemia. We investigated epidemiology, clinical and laboratory features and treatment outcome of the children with ALL in Korea during recent 5 years. METHODS: One thousand forty nine patients were enrolled between January 1994 and December 1998 from 37 major hospitals in Korea. The data regarding the clinical and laboratory features including age, WBC counts at diagnosis, immunophenotype, morphology, cytogenetics and treatment outcome of patients were analyzed retrospectively by review of patient's medical records. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed. The differences between groups analyzed by log-rank test. RESULTS: There were 597 males and 452 females. The distribution between the age 2 and 5 years is most common in 46.1%. The annual incidence rate per 100,000 population varied from 1.6 to 2.2. The 5 year event free survival (EFS) rates according to good prognostic factors were as follows: 67% bet ween 1-9 year of age at diagnosis, 69% in under 10,000/mm3of initial WBC count, 74% in early pre-B cell CALLA ( ) immunophenotype, 65% in L3 morphology, 68% in no CNS invasion. Most of patients were treated by CCG treatment protocol. The 5 year EFS was 63%. Main complications were sepsis (21.8%) and hemorrhage (12.5%). The relapse rate was 15.6%. The common causes of death were sepsis, DIC, pneumonia, relapse. CONCLUSION: Our results could provide the most recent and important information about acute lymphoblastic leukemia of children in Korea.
Cause of Death ; Child ; Clinical Protocols ; Cytogenetics ; Dacarbazine ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Epidemiology* ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Korea* ; Leukemia ; Male ; Medical Records ; Pneumonia ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: Wilms tumor is the most common malignant renal tumor in children. We investigated the epidemiology, clinical features and treatment outcome of the children with Wilms tumor in Korea during the recent 10 years. METHODS: Two hundred forty six patients were enrolled between January 1991 and December 2000 from 26 major hospitals in Korea. The data regarding the clinical features including sex, age, pathologic type, prognostic factor and treatment outcome of patients were analyzed retrospectively by review of patient's medical records. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed, The differences between groups were analyzed by log-rank test. RESULTS: There were 130 males and 116 females. The incidence between the age of 1~4 years was the highest with 66.2%. The annual incidence rate per 1, 000, 000 population varied from 1.9 to 2.1. The 10 years overall survival rate according to sex, clinical stage, pathologic type and relapse were as follows: 88.6% in male, 90.9% in female, 100% in stage I, 94.7% in stage II, 92.1% in stage III, 63.4% in stage IV, 85.7% in stage V, 95.3% in favorable histology, 64.1% in unfavorable histology, 94.8% in non-relapse, and 40.9% in relapse. The relapse rate was 12%. The 10 years overall survival rate of 246 patients were 89.1%. CONCLUSION: Our results could provide the most recent and important clinical information on Wilms tumor of children in Korea.
Child ; Epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Korea* ; Male ; Medical Records ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome ; Wilms Tumor*