Evaluation of Hypersensitivity Reactions in Pediatric Patients Using Biological Drugs.

INTRODUCTION: Biological drugs are currently used for the treatment of chronic inflammatory, autoimmune, and neoplastic diseases. With their expanding indication spectrum and increasing use, hypersensitivity reactions to these drugs are also becoming more frequent. The present study aimed to report the incidence and the features of such reactions in pediatric patients using biologicals for the treatment of various diseases. METHODS: The medical records of pediatric patients treated with biological agents between October 1, 2011 and August 31, 2019 were reviewed and adverse reactions were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: During the study period, 211 patients (116 boys, 55%) used 21 different biological drugs for the treatment of various diseases. Their median age at the time of the first treatment was 139.9 (IQR: 92.2-187.8) months. Hematologic-oncologic diseases were the most common indication for biological therapy (97/211; 46.0%), followed by rheumatologic diseases (82/211; 38.9%). Of the 211 patients, 14 (6.64%) experienced reactions to biological drugs. The most common culprit agent was rituximab (57.1%). Most of the patients (85.7%) had a history of reactions either during the infusion or within 1 h after taking the drug. Five patients underwent desensitization to the culprit drug, while 7 other patients continued treatment with a reduced dose/infusion rate or premedication. Also 1 patient continued to take the drug without any additional treatment. CONCLUSION: It was reported that 6.64% of the patients who received biologic drug therapy for various reasons in our hospital had hypersensitivity. The most common culprit agent was rituximab, and most of the reactions were immediate reactions.

Autoimmune atrophic gastritis: The role of Helicobacter pylori infection in children.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune atrophic gastritis (AIG) is very rare in children. Despite a better understanding of histopathologic changes and serological markers in this disease, underlying etiopathogenic mechanisms and the effect of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection are not well known. We aimed to investigate the relation between AIG and H pylori infection in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the presence of AIG and H pylori infection in fifty-three patients with positive antiparietal cell antibody (APCA). Demographic data, clinical symptoms, laboratory and endoscopic findings, histopathology, and presence of H pylori were recorded. RESULTS: The children were aged between 5 and 18 years, and 28 (52.8%) of them were male. Mean age was 14.7 ± 2.6 years (median: 15.3; min-max: 5.2-18), and 10 (18.8%) of them had AIG confirmed by histopathology. In the AIG group, the duration of vitamin B12 deficiency was longer (P = .022), hemoglobin levels were lower (P = .018), and APCA (P = .039) and gastrin (P = .002) levels were higher than those in the non-AIG group. Endoscopic findings were similar between the two groups. Intestinal metaplasia was higher (P = .018) in the AIG group. None of the patients in the AIG group had H pylori infection (P = .004). One patient in the AIG group had enterochromaffin-like cell hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that, in children, H pylori infection may not play a role in AIG. AIG could be associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, iron deficiency, and APCA positivity in children. APCA and gastrin levels should be investigated for the early diagnosis of AIG and intestinal metaplasia.

An Unusual Presentation of Cytomegalovirus Infection: Generalized Edema.

OBJECTIVE: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may rarely lead to protein-losing gastropathy that presents with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and edema in immunocompetent children, but extremely rarely with only generalized edema. CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND INTERVENTION: A previously healthy 5-year-old boy presented with generalized edema without any other symptoms. He had hypoalbuminemia but no proteinuria. He was evaluated for gastrointestinal protein loss, and hypertrophic gastropathy was revealed on esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Meanwhile, CMV infection was detected by serologic tests and polymerase chain reaction in the blood. He recovered spontaneously within a week. CONCLUSION: CMV-related protein-losing gastropathy may present with generalized edema without any gastrointestinal symptoms.

Esophageal stricture due to recurrent mucositis in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

An esophageal stricture is one of the complications that may develop during cancer treatment in children. Although more commonly associated with radiotherapy, recurrent mucositis has also been implicated. Presented herein is a case of a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who suffered recurrent attacks of severe mucositis. Initial management of ensuing dysphagia included antifungal treatment for candida esophagitis. A subsequent upper endoscopy due to persistence of dysphagia revealed the presence of an esophageal stricture. Our aim in presenting this case is to emphasize the importance of considering a diagnosis of esophageal stricture in patients receiving anti-cancer treatment; early endoscopic intervention may be warranted in some patients.

Serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in neonatal cholestasis.

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is used as a tumor marker for hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatoblastoma and germ cell tumors. It may also be elevated in infants with some hepatobiliary disorders. The mechanism of AFP elevation in neonatal cholestasis is not known. We retrospectively evaluated serum AFP levels in 53 infants with neonatal cholestasis. Thirty patients (56.6%) had elevated AFP, and the ratio of patients with elevated AFP was significantly high in both the metabolic diseases and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis groups (p=0.021). Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels increased significantly in patients with elevated AFP (p=0.004). Steatosis was the distinctive histopathological finding of the patients with high AFP. The patients with steatosis had significantly higher standard deviation (SD) score of AFP than the patients without steatosis (p=0.001). We have shown AFP elevation in neonatal cholestasis due to metabolic disorders and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis and its association with steatosis and AST elevation.

A novel homozygous mutation in the USP53 gene as the cause of benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis in children: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) is a rare cause of cholestasis with recurrent episodes of jaundice and pruritus without extrahepatic bile duct obstruction. A mutation in the USP53 gene is known to cause BRIC-like cholestasis with normal serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels. CASE: We report a 16-year-old boy with recurrent episodes of cholestasis since 6 months of age with normal serum GGT levels. The liver biopsy showed ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes which is typical for BRIC, and intrahepatic and canalicular cholestasis with bilirubinostasis. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) and identified a novel homozygous variant (NM_001371399.1:c.1558C > T) of the USP53 gene at exon 14 as the cause of BRIC. CONCLUSION: This is the first case of USP53 disease from Türkiye with a novel mutation in the USP53 gene. This novel identification of the mutation of c.1558C > T at exon 14 can provide elucidative data for those who work in the field of intrahepatic cholestasis. Our case suggests that USP53 disease must be kept in mind in patients with recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis with normal serum GGT levels.

Celiac crisis with thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy in a child.

BACKGROUND: Celiac disease rarely presents with edema, hypoalbuminemia, acute metabolic deterioration, and electrolyte imbalances. This life-threatening condition is defined as a celiac crisis and may mimic disorders with metabolic derangement and sepsis. The crisis may present at onset or develop in celiac disease patients with poor compliance to a gluten-free diet. The fluid resuscitation and replacement of electrolyte deficits are life-saving modalities. CASE: A 14-month-old girl was admitted with fever, lethargy, severe dehydration, edema, hypotension, and commenced sepsis therapy. However, the patient had a growth delay and loss of weight with diarrhea and delayed motor skills. On admission, laboratory evaluation showed anemia, coagulopathy, hypoalbuminemia, electrolyte disturbances, and metabolic acidosis and developed thrombocytopenia during follow-up. The celiac serological tests and upper gastrointestinal endoscopic duodenal mucosa appearance, and duodenum histopathology findings suggested celiac disease. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights that a celiac patient may present with a severe illness like sepsis and may be associated with cytopenia and coagulopathy in the celiac crisis.

Novel mutations of SAR1B gene in four children with chylomicron retention disease.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal lipid malabsorption, resulting from an impaired formation or secretion of chylomicrons and associated with severe hypobetalipoproteinemia (HBL), may be due to biallelic mutations in APOB (homozygous FHBL type-1), MTTP (abetalipoproteinemia), or SAR1B (chylomicron retention disease). OBJECTIVE: We investigated four children, each born from consanguineous parents, presenting with steatorrhea, malnutrition, accumulation of lipids in enterocytes, and severe hypocholesterolemia with an apparent recessive transmission. METHODS: We sequenced a panel of genes whose variants may be associated with HBL. RESULTS: Case 1, a 9-month-old male, was found to be homozygous for a SAR1B variant (c.49 C>T), predicted to encode a truncated Sar1b protein devoid of function (p.Gln17*). Case 2, a 4-year-old male, was found to be homozygous for a SAR1B missense variant [c.409 G>C, p.(Asp137His)], which affects a highly conserved residue close to the Sar1b guanosine recognition site. Case 3, a 6-year-old male, was found to be homozygous for an ∼6 kb deletion of the SAR1B gene, which eliminates exon 2; this deletion causes the loss of the ATG translation initiation codon in the SAR1B mRNA. The same homozygous mutation was found in an 11-month-old child (case 4) who was related to case 3. CONCLUSIONS: We report 4 children with intestinal lipid malabsorption were found to have chylomicron retention disease due to 3 novel variants in the SAR1B gene.