Korean J Intern Med.  2004 Dec;19(4):271-275.

A Case of Severe Protein-losing Enteropathy as a Late Complication of Pelvic Irradiation

• Sohn WS
• Kim DR
• Lee JS
• Cheon GJ
• Lee BH
• Lee SS
• Jeong SH

Abstract

Department of Protein-losing enteropathy is the manifestation of a diverse set of disorders, and it is characterized by the excessive loss of plasma proteins into the affected portions of the gastrointestinal tract, and this results in hypoalbuminemia. We report here on a case of severe protein-losing enteropathy with the typical clinical features of hypoalbuminemia, dependent edema and increased alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT) clearance, as measured by using 24hr stool testing. The associated disorder with the protein-losing enteropathy of our case was radiation enterocolitis and lymphatic obstruction that was due to radiation treatment and lymph node dissection in the remote past for the treatment of uterine cervical carcinoma. Our case suggests that chronic radiation enterocolitis can result in irreversible injury to the intestinal mucosa and a protein-losing enteropathy, which can bring about a very poor quality of life and even the loss of life.

Keyword

Protein-losing enteropathy; Radiation; Enterocolitis

MeSH Terms

Aged
Carcinoma/radiotherapy
Cervix Neoplasms/radiotherapy
Enterocolitis/complications/etiology
Female
Humans
Lymph Node Excision
Lymphatic Diseases/complications/etiology
Protein-Losing Enteropathies/*etiology
Radiotherapy/*adverse effects