P064 Association Between Crohn's Disease (CD) and Transient IgM and IgG Immunodeficiency-Diagnostic and Management Challenges.

CASE: Background: CD is an inflammatory disease that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract and has a progressive course. Immunodeficiencies can occur by altering different components of innate or adaptive immune responses. Such changes put the patient at greater risk for infectious diseases or non-infectious complications. Among the non-infectious complications are cancer, autoimmune diseases and gastrointestinal diseases, which should be suspected in patients with recurrent infections, with clinical, radiological or histological features of the disease are atypical or in the occurrence of an unsatisfactory response to conventional therapy. OBJECTIVE: To describe a case report of a CD patient complicated with enteric alterations related to immunodeficiency. RESULTS: A 31-year-old male patient started presenting abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss in October 2020. He underwent a colonoscopy that showed diffuse involvement of the colon suggestive of CD. He didn`t respond to therapy with prednisone and azathioprine and lost 40kg until January 2021, when he was referred to an IBD center. He had signs of malnutrition (eg, BMI = 15.4, Albumin = 1.8g/dL). The MRI showed diffuse thickening of the walls of the entire length of the ileum, colon and rectum, associated with submucosal edema and more intense enhancement in the inner layer. Findings compatible with nonspecific diffuse ileocolitis. After negative infectious screening, hydrocortisone, azathioprine and infliximab were prescribed, but the patient remained clinical worsening. During the 6 weeks of therapy use, the patient presented oral candidiasis, septic pyoarthritis, DNA testing for Clostridium difficile and PCR for Cytomegalovius were positive. Despite the treatment of infectious diseases, the patient continued to worsen and was considered a primary non-response to anti-TNF, opting for the initiation of Ustekinumab. There was improvement in endoscopic and fecal calprotectin, but continued progression of ileal disease and diarrhea, with no response to enteral or parenteral nutritional therapies. An investigation for immunodeficiencies was carried out and IgM/IgG deficiency was noted, and parenteral immunoglobulin was started. He presented an intestinal subocclusion, requiring a loop ileostomy. In this surgery, it was decided to send a sample of ileal tissue for diagnostic differentiation, where ileitis was observed with intense plasma cell reaction and lymphoid nodular hyperplasia, uncharacteristic of DC, which may correspond to enteropathy secondary to immunodeficiency. Despite the treatment, the patient presented fungal endocarditis, esophageal moniliasis and septic condition of undetermined origin. He remained in hospital for 120 days until complete improvement of the infectious complications. With the slow improvement in nutritional parameters, there was a reduction in the incidence of infections as well as an increase in immunoglobulins. After five months of combined nutrition and anti-interleukin therapy, the patient presented clinical improvement, weight gain and complete normalization of IgG and IgM. Ileal disease is in regression and in the colon, in endoscopic remission. CONCLUSION: We present a case report of the initial presentation of DC complicated with severe malnutrition where there was depletion of part of immunoglobulins, resulting in infectious and non-infectious complications, where ileal involvement intensified the manifestation of colonic DC.

Serum sodium, model for end-stage liver disease, and a recent invasive procedure are risk factors for severe acute-on-chronic liver failure and death in cirrhotic patients hospitalized with bacterial infection.

INTRODUCTION: Bacterial infection is present in up to 30% of hospitalized cirrhotic patients. It can lead, even after its resolution, to organ dysfunction and even acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). It is the precipitating factor of ACLF in one third of the cases and is the main cause of mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and identify early risk factors for severe ACLF and death in hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis with bacterial infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational study. Hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis and bacterial infection were included. Clinical and laboratory data and their evolution to organ dysfunction and death were assessed. A statistical analysis were carried out to identify predictors of severe ACLF and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: This study included 88 patients. ACLF was observed in 62 (70%) patients, with 48 (55%) grade 2 or higher. Of the 27 deaths (31% of all patients), 26 had severe ACLF (54% mortality) (P<0.0001). The independent risk factors for ACLF of at least 2 and death were baseline serum sodium [odds ratio (OR): 0.874; P=0.01, and OR: 0.9, P=0.04], initial MELD (OR: 1.255, P=0.0001, and OR: 1.162, P=0.005), and a recent invasive procedure (OR: 3.169, P=0.01, and OR: 6.648, P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Lower serum sodium values, higher MELD scores at diagnosis of infection, and a recent history of invasive procedures were independent risk factors for severe ACLF and death in patients with cirrhosis and bacterial infection.

Changes in indications for outpatient percutaneous liver biopsy over 5 years: from hepatitis C to fatty liver disease / Cambios en las indicaciones de la biopsia hepática percutánea ambulatoria durante 5 años: de hepatitis C a enfermedad del hígado graso

Introduction: Although the use of non-invasive methods for assessment of liver fibrosis has reduced the need for biopsy, the diagnosis of liver damage still requires histological evaluation in many patients. We aim to describe the indications for percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) and the rate of complications in an outpatient setting over 5 years. Methods: This observational, single-center, and retrospective study included patients submitted to real-time ultrasound (US)-guided biopsies from 2015 to 2019. We collected age, gender, coagulation tests, comorbidities, and the number of needle passes. The association between the variables and complications was evaluated using the generalized estimating equations method. Results: We analyzed 532 biopsies in 524 patients (55.3% male) with a median age of 49 years (range 13–74y). An average of 130.3 biopsies per year were performed in the first 3 years of the study versus 70.5 in the other 2y. The main indications were hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (47.0%), autoimmune and cholestatic liver diseases (12.6%), and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) (12.1%). The number of HCV-related biopsies had a remarkable reduction, while MAFLD-related procedures have progressively raised over time. Around 54% of the patients reported pain, which was significantly associated with females (p=0.0143). Serious complications occurred in 11 patients (2.1%) and hospital admission was necessary in 10 cases (1.9%). No patient required surgical approach and there were no deaths. No significant association was found between the studied variables and biopsy-related complications. Conclusion: The indications for PLB in an outpatient setting have changed from HCV to MAFLD over the years. This procedure is safe and has a low rate of serious complications, but new strategies to prevent the pain are still needed, especially for females.(AU)

Introducción: Aunque el uso de métodos no invasivos para evaluar la fibrosis hepática ha reducido la necesidad de una biopsia, el diagnóstico de daño hepático aún requiere una evaluación histológica en muchos pacientes. Nuestro objetivo es describir las indicaciones de la biopsia hepática percutánea ambulatoria y la tasa de complicaciones durante cinco años. Métodos: Este estudio observacional, retrospectivo y unicéntrico incluyó pacientes sometidos a biopsias guiadas por ecografía en tiempo real desde 2015 hasta 2019. Recogimos información sobre edad, sexo, pruebas de coagulación, comorbilidades y número de pasadas de aguja. La asociación entre variables y complicaciones se evaluó mediante el método de ecuaciones de estimación generalizada. Resultados: Analizamos 532 biopsias en 524 pacientes (55,3% hombres) con una edad media de 49 años (rango de 13 a 74 años). Se realizó una media de 130,3 biopsias por año en los primeros tres años del estudio frente a 70,5 en los otros dos años. Las principales indicaciones fueron la infección por el virus de la hepatitis C (HCV) (47,0%), las enfermedades hepáticas autoinmunes y colestásicas (12,6%) y la enfermedad del hígado graso asociada a disfunción metabólica (MAFLD) (12,1%). El número de biopsias relacionadas con la HCV tuvo una reducción notable, mientras que los procedimientos relacionados con MAFLD han aumentado progresivamente con el tiempo. Alrededor del 54% de los pacientes informaron dolor, que se asoció significativamente con las mujeres (p = 0,0143). Se produjeron complicaciones graves en 11 pacientes (2,1%) y el ingreso hospitalario fue necesario en 10 casos (1,9%). Ningún paciente requirió abordaje quirúrgico y no hubo muertes. No se encontró asociación significativa entre las variables estudiadas y las complicaciones relacionadas con la biopsia. Conclusión: Las indicaciones para la biopsia hepática percutánea ambulatoria han cambiado de HCV a MAFLD con el pasar de los años.(AU)