Diabetic gastroenteropathy: An underdiagnosed complication

This article is an extensive review that provides an update on the pathophysiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetic gastroenteropathy. There is no reported prevalence, but it has been described that patients with type 1 diabetes have a cumulative incidence at 10 years of 5.2%, and type 2 patients, 1%. Also, in the group of type 1 diabetes, it has been observed that women are more likely to present this condition (5.8% vs 3.5%). Many factors are associate with its development (e.g., hyperglycemia, vagal dysfunction, loss of expression of neural nitric oxide synthase in the myenteric plexus, alterations in the Cajal interstitial cell network, and oxidative stress). Gastrointestinal discomfort could be perceived 70% higher in diabetic patients, describing that 25% of diabetic patients experience gastrointestinal symptoms. Diabetic enteropathy could affect any portion of the gastrointestinal tract, but esophageal alterations were described in more than 60% of diabetic patients, also 60% of them present constipation, and 20%, diarrhea. Gastric emptying scintigraphy is useful to evaluate gastroparesis, therefore, gastric retention of more than 60% at 2 h has a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 20% for diagnosis; however, other studies such as breath tests, with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 80%, or the endoscopic capsule contribute to the diagnosis. There is no cure; however, management must be multidisciplinary, focused on slowing the progression of diabetic gastroenteropathy, reducing symptoms, and restoring function; that includes nutritional recommendation, maintain glucose levels kept below 180 mg/dL, use of prokinetics, anti-emetics; nowadays, it has been special interest in surgical treatment, such as pyloroplasty, also gastric electrical stimulation appears to be another alternative.

Confluence of obesity and MAFLD during Covid-19 pandemic in a developing country

The direct relation between the overweight/obesity, MAFLD and the severity SARS-CoV-2 infection. increase number of cases of obesity and MAFLD is an important risk factor for high mortality of COVID-19 patients.

[Colorectal synchronism: ascending colon adenocarcinoma and small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the rectum]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequent cancer in the world and the second cause of death of neoplastic origin. Synchronism in CCR is approximately 3-6%. The gastrointestinal tract is the most frequent place where neuroendocrine neoplasms (NNE) settle and a special type of these neuroendocrine carcinomas (CNE) are rare. Treatment is challenging, due to the aggressiveness of the malignancy and the lack of well-established protocols. Therefore a multidisciplinary approach is needed, however, in most cases the result is not the best. We present the case of an 83-year-old man who has an emergency with a 3-month history of diarrhea, perianal pain, weight loss, and hematochezia. The endoscopic study shows evidence of two malignancies and the histological study confirms the presence of CNE in small cells at the rectum and adenocarcinoma in the ascending colon. He underwent systematic chemotherapy, however, he evolved unfavorably, dying after 3 weeks.

[Epidemiology and phenotype of Crohn's disease in a reference hospital in Lima - Peru]

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory pathology of the digestive tract with great impact on the quality of life of patients. Global epidemiology is changing in recent years and its prevalence is increasing in Latin America.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the epidemiological characteristics, phenotype, clinical course, diagnosis and treatment of CD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective, descriptive, observational study of patients diagnosed with CD from January 2004 to December 2019 in the gastroenterology service of the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital, Lima-Peru.

RESULTS

55 patients with an average age of 56 ± 8.2 years were included. Male predominance (62%). The average diagnosis time was 18 ± 6.1 months. The most frequent symptoms were: abdominal pain 72.7% and weight loss 60%. Extraintestinal manifestations occurred in 20%. The ileal location (36.4%) was the most frequent, followed by colonic (32.7%). The inflammatory phenotype predominated in half of the patients, followed by stenosing in 25.5%. The most frequent activity clinical and endoscopic was moderate. For induction and maintenance treatment, systemic corticosteroids and biological therapy with anti-TNF were the most widely used, respectively. Approximately a third of patients required surgery during the evolution of the disease. Mortality was 5.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

CD is an increasingly frequent disease in our country, with epidemiological and phenotypic characteristics that differ from other continents.