The Open Gastroenterology Journal

2012, 6 : 31-33
Published online 2012 September 27. DOI: 10.2174/1874259901206010031
Publisher ID: TOGASJ-6-31

An Unusual Presentation of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis: Case Report and Literature Review

Mohammed A. Alzahrani , Ali M. Assiri , Saif A. Alqahtani , Sabah N. Nemri and Abdullah M. Alshehri
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, P. O. Box 641, Abha, 61421, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis [EGE] is a rare disease of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by eosinophilic in-filtration of the bowel wall and variable gastrointestinal manifestation. The signs and symptoms of EGE are related to the extent of bowel involved with eosinophilic infiltration whether mucosa; muscle; and / or subserosa. Peripheral eosino-philia may or may not be present. Diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion and exclusion of other causes of peripheral eosinophilia. We report a case of a young woman who presented with recurrent abdominal pain and ascites. Diagnosis of EGE was made based on clinical, laboratory, radiological and histological criteria. The patient demonstrated overlap be-tween different subtypes of EGE and had an excellent response to steroid treatment.

Keywords:

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis [EGE], ascites, abdominal pain.