RESUMEN
Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS) is a rare disorder comprised of venous malformation mostly involving the skin and gastrointestinal (GI) tract but can also involve other visceral organs. The most predominant site of GI tract involvement is the small bowel. In patients with GI lesions, treatment depends on the severity of bleeding, and extent of involvement. Conservative therapy with iron supplementation and blood transfusion is appropriate in cases with mild bleeding but in severe cases endoscopic and surgical interventions would be beneficial. Also, medical therapy with sirolimus significantly reduces bleeding. A 20-year-old woman was referred to our hospital after transfusion of six units of packed cell because of several episodes of lower GI bleeding within the past three months in the form of melena and a single episode of hematochezia. Her last hemoglobin level before admission was 10mg/dl. She underwent various unsuccessful investigations since she was eight years old to find the origin of refractory iron deficiency anemia. In upper endoscopy, five bleeding polypoid lesions were discovered in the jejunum. Lesions were excised by snare polypectomy. Over a six-month follow-up period, no signs of lower GI bleeding were noted and the patient had a normal hemoglobin level.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Studies on gastric mucosal histological findings among first degree relatives (FDR) of gastric cancer (GC) patients are scarce. The aim is to evaluate the topography and the severity of gastritis among FDR of GC patients. DESIGN: A total of 989 subjects who were FDR of GC patients, ages 40-65 years underwent gastroscopies. When no gross lesion was found, five specimens were evaluated according to the Sydney Classification and one for urease testing in order to determine the type of gastritis and its severity. RESULTS: Of the 989 subjects, 107 had significant lesions, including two with GC and one with esophageal cancer. The 864 subjects who had complete morphological data taken from five gastric areas (two from the antrum and three from the corpus) comprised 419 males (mean age 48.5±7 years) and 445 females (mean age 47±6.4 years). The H. pylori rate was 76.6%. Normal mucosa was seen in 6.9%, antrum-restricted gastritis in 7.4%, antrum-predominant gastritis in 63.5% and corpus-predominant gastritis in 20% (both had >80% H. pylori infection) and corpus-restricted gastritis in 2%. More atrophy was seen in the antrum and corpus of FDR females than males. The severity did not differ between those with one or more GC patients' relatives. Forty-nine percent of FDR had atrophy and 9.4% intestinal metaplasia (IM) in the corpus. After the age of 40, there was progression of intestinal metaplasia from 12.2 to 27.3% in the antrum and from 6.7% to 26.2% in the corpus during two decades. No high grade dysplasia was found in this mid-age population. CONCLUSION: Only one-fifth of FDR have H. pylori-induced corpus-predominant gastritis who are at risk for cancer and suitable for eradication. Corpus-restricted gastritis is a rare disease in this area.
