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Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets (Discontinued)

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1871-5281
ISSN (Online): 2212-4055

A Mysterious Case of Gastroparesis: Could the Secret be Found in a Drink?

Author(s): Mariabeatrice Principi, Ranaldo Nunzio, Giuseppe Ingravallo, Giuseppe Riezzo, Elisabetta Damiani, Antonio Ferrannini, Roberta Rossi, Leonardo Resta, Enzo Ierardi and Alfredo Di Leo

Volume 12, Issue 3, 2013

Page: [187 - 189] Pages: 3

DOI: 10.2174/1871528111312030005

Price: $65

Abstract

Background: Gastroparesis is a disorder characterized by delayed gastric emptying of a meal in the absence of a mechanical gastric outlet obstruction. Idiopathic gastroparesis is at least as common as diabetic gastroparesis in most case series, and the true prevalence of gastroparesis is unknown.

Results: We report here an interesting case of idiopathic gastroparesis characterized by sudden onset in a female patient. The diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasonographic study of gastric emptying and electrogastrography, by gastric endoscopy/histology, and finally by allergy tests. The disorder was found to be due to a rare cause, namely an allergic predisposition. In fact, our patient, who demonstrated an allergy to gold salts, had drunk a glass of a liqueur containing gold flakes and developed an eosinophilic aggregation in the gastric mucosa observed at gastric endoscopy/histology. The symptoms disappeared after steroid administration.

Conclusion: Our experience suggests that gastric histology and close enquiry into any history of allergy may be useful diagnostic tools in cases of idiopathic gastroparesis.

Keywords: Allergy, eosiniphilic gastritis, gold salts, Idiopathic gastroparesis.


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