All articles tagged with #case report
A 15-year-old in Nepal developed five large, rubbery keloids that erupted from chickenpox scars—a rare outcome called eruptive keloids documented in a case report—treatment is difficult and she chose to manage symptoms rather than pursue aggressive therapy; vaccination remains the best protection against varicella.
A 31-year-old man in Wardha, India, treated for a urinary tract infection was found to have a rare supernumerary (third) kidney fused to his right kidney on CT imaging. The congenital anomaly can be asymptomatic, but in this case the kidneys were swollen and there were stones in the left ureter. He received a ureteral stent and IV antibiotics; after 48 hours he improved and was discharged with follow-up. Supernumerary kidneys are exceedingly rare (fewer than 100 cases per year worldwide), and a fused horseshoe configuration is even more unusual.
A middle-aged man developed hypervitaminosis D after taking about 150,000 IU of vitamin D daily from more than 20 supplements under a nutritionist’s plan, leading to vomiting, diarrhea, tinnitus, weight loss, and kidney issues. He was hospitalized for eight days, treated with IV fluids and bisphosphonates to lower calcium. Although calcium normalized, vitamin D levels remained high. The case, reported in BMJ Case Reports, underscores the risk of toxicity from excessive supplement use—even for a vitamin generally considered safe.
Doctors warn that although vitamin D has health benefits, excessive intake can cause hypervitaminosis D with symptoms like vomiting, abdominal pain, drowsiness and kidney injury. A BMJ Case Report describes a middle-aged man taking more than 20 supplements—including 150,000 IU of vitamin D daily—leading to very high vitamin D and calcium levels and an eight-day hospital stay, underscoring the need for safe dosing and awareness of supplement combos.
A 64-year-old Australian woman with months of lung disease and cognitive decline underwent brain surgery when imaging revealed a lesion. Surgeons removed a living 80 mm worm from her right frontal lobe, identified as Ophidascaris robertsi, a parasite native to carpet pythons. This marked the first documented human brain infection by the parasite, likely from larval migration facilitated by immunosuppression. Post-surgery, she received antiparasitic treatment and steroids; neuropsychiatric symptoms improved but some deficits persisted, and there have been no further human Ophidascaris infections reported since.
Doctors in Australia diagnosed a 64-year-old woman with a rare neural larva migrans caused by Ophidascaris robertsi, a parasite native to carpet pythons. After years of lung and organ lesions and progressive neuropsychiatric symptoms, a brain biopsy revealed the worm. She was treated with surgical removal followed by ivermectin and albendazole, plus dexamethasone, leading to resolution of lung and liver lesions and improved memory and mood.
An 83-year-old man in Belgium presented with facial palsy and systemic symptoms; weeks in hospital revealed anemia, liver abnormalities, edema, and kidney dysfunction. A positive Treponema pallidum test and elevated white blood cells in cerebrospinal fluid led to a diagnosis of secondary syphilis with early neurosyphilis—an unusual presentation with an uncertain infection source, possibly a latent infection reactivation or a recent exposure. He received penicillin therapy and improved, highlighting the diagnostic challenge in atypical syphilis cases.
A case report suggests a possible link between vaping and aggressive lung cancer, highlighting the need for further research to understand vaping's health risks, especially since the patient had a history of smoking but switched exclusively to e-cigarettes for over a decade before developing fatal lung cancer.
A case report has highlighted the association between cobalamin (vitamin B12) deficiency and psychotic symptoms in a patient with celiac disease. The 75-year-old woman presented with auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusions, thought broadcasting, and insomnia. Laboratory investigations detected mild anemia and cobalamin deficiency, but were unremarkable for other causes of psychosis. After starting olanzapine and cobalamin replacement, she had a good clinical response with full remission of delusions in 5 days. She remained symptom-free at several follow-up assessments with her community mental health team and maintained normal cobalamin levels as monitored by her primary care team.
A case report has been published describing a patient who developed intracranial hemorrhage after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The patient, who had a history of hypertension and was taking aspirin, presented with a severe headache and was found to have a subarachnoid hemorrhage. While the authors note that this is a rare event and the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, they suggest that individuals with a history of bleeding disorders or those taking anticoagulants should be monitored closely after vaccination.