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AN INTERESTING CASE OF GASTROINTESTINAL MANIFESTATIONS OF SYSTEMIC MASTOCYSTOSIS
JK Lee1, SJ Whittaker2, RA Enns2, P Zetler3
1University of British Columbia; 2Division of Gastroenterology; 3Division of Pathology, St Paul’s Hospital,
AIM: To explore the gastrointestinal manifestations of systemic mastocytosis (SM) with a systemic review and highlight the points using a real case of SM.
Rationale and RESULTS: Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare disease with abnormal proliferation and infiltration of mast cells in the skin, bone marrow, and viscera including the mucosal surfaces of the digestive tract. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms occur in 14 – 85% of patients with systemic mastocytosis. The GI symptoms may be as frequent as the better known pruritis, urticaria pigmentosa, and flushing. In fact most recent studies show that the GI symptoms are especially important clinically due to the severity and chronicity of the symptoms that it produces. GI symptoms may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and bloating. The case presented here is of predominantly GI systemic mastocytosis with unique endoscopic images and pathologic confirmation.
CONCLUSION: When investigating an unusual chronic diarrhea one must keep in mind SM.