The role of histopathology in diagnosing protracted diarrhea of infancy.

Abstract

Protracted diarrhea is used to describe infants with loose and frequent stools of sufficient severity to require nutritional support, most commonly parenteral nutrition. Despite similar clinical presentations, the causes of protracted diarrhea in infants are varied and diverse in management and prognosis. The following cases represent the two more common causes of protracted diarrhea in young infants in the developed world - allergic and autoimmune enteropathy. Both patients demonstrate diagnostic challenges related to clinical and/or laboratory features. These cases illustrate the important role histological assessment plays in determining the correct diagnosis, treatment course and prognosis in infants with protracted diarrhea.

• Authors: Dawn Hartfield, Justine Turner, Hien Huynh, Per Lidman, Todd Chaba, Atilano Lacson
• Journal: Fetal and pediatric pathology (Fetal Pediatr Pathol) Vol. 29 Issue 3 Pg. 144-57 ( 2010) ISSN: 1551-3823 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20450267 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Topics

• Autoimmune Diseases (diagnosis, immunology, therapy)
• Diarrhea, Infantile (diagnosis, immunology, therapy)
• Duodenitis (diagnosis, immunology, therapy)
• Duodenum (pathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Infant
• Intestinal Mucosa (pathology)
• Milk Hypersensitivity (diagnosis, immunology, therapy)
• Milk, Human
• Parenteral Nutrition
• Treatment Outcome