Gastroenterology Commons^™

Over-The-Counter Drug Causing Acute Pancreatitis, Swetha Parvataneni, Rajesh Essrani, Shehriyar Mehershahi, Rajesh Essrani, Ajeet Kumar Lohana, Asif Mehmood

Section of Gastroenterology

Acute pancreatitis is caused by alcohol, gall stone disease, drugs, trauma, infections, and metabolic causes such as hypercalcemia and hyperlipidemia. Hypercalcemia-induced acute pancreatitis has been well documented but only rarely occurs due to over-the-counter calcium carbonate. In this article, we present a case of over-the-counter calcium carbonate-induced acute pancreatitis.

Safety Of Endoscopy And Its Outcome In Pregnancy, Lubna Kamani, Muhammad S. Achakzai, Faisal Wasim Ismail, Farhana Kayani

Section of Gastroenterology

Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is an important tool for diagnosis and treatment of GI diseases. However, when endoscopy is indicated during pregnancy, concerns about its safety for mother and fetus often arise. Our objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic procedures in pregnant patients along with maternal and fetal outcomes.
Methods: This study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital after Ethics review committee approval. It was a retrospective study and medical records of all pregnant patients who underwent endoscopy during pregnancy from January 2000 to January 2014 were analyzed. Data regarding the indications and type …

Apasl Hcv Guidelines Of Virus-Eradicated Patients By Daa On How To Monitor Hcc Occurrence And Hbv Reactivation, Tatsuo Kanda, George K K. Lau, Lai Wei, Mitsuhiko Moriyama, Ming-Lung Yu, Wang-Long Chuang, Alaaeldin Ibrahim, Cosmas Rinaldi Adithya Lesmana, Saeed Hamid, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

In the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) era for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, sustained virological response (SVR) is very high, but close attention must be paid to the possible occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients with co-infection who achieved SVR in short term. HCC occurrence was more often observed in patients with previous HCC history. We found occurrence of HCC in 178 (29.6%) of 602 patients with previous HCC history (15.4 months mean follow-up post-DAA initiation) but, in contrast, in only 604 (1.3%) of 45,870 patients without previous HCC history (18.2 months mean …

Rosai-Dorfman's Disease, An Uncommon Cause Of Common Clinical Presentation, Om Parkash, Mian Shah Yousaf, Ghulam Fareed

Section of Gastroenterology

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy also known as Rosai-Dorfman disease is a rare benign disease that typically manifests as lymphadenopathy with or without systemic manifestations whose etiology remains poorly understood. Most common clinical presentation is painless bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. However, it also can present in various extranodal sites and can easily be missed because of its rarity if not considered in the differential diagnosis. It commonly occurs in children and young adults with a slightly male predominance. Clinically patients may be mistaken for lymphoma and other infectious disorders like tuberculosis especially in developing countries like in Pakistan where tuberculosis is …

Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure: Consensus Recommendations Of The Asian Pacific Association For The Study Of The Liver (Apasl): An Update, Shiv Kumar Sarin, Ashok Choudhury, Manoj K. Sharma, Rakhi Maiwall, Mamun Al Mahtab, Salimur Rahman, Saeed Hamid, Amna S. Butt, Wasim Jafri, Zaigham Abbas

Section of Gastroenterology

The first consensus report of the working party of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) set up in 2004 on acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) was published in 2009. With international groups volunteering to join, the "APASL ACLF Research Consortium (AARC)" was formed in 2012, which continued to collect prospective ACLF patient data. Based on the prospective data analysis of nearly 1400 patients, the AARC consensus was published in 2014. In the past nearly four-and-a-half years, the AARC database has been enriched to about 5200 cases by major hepatology centers across Asia. The data published during …

Drug-Induced Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure In Asian Patients, Harshad Devarbhavi, Saeed Hamid

Section of Gastroenterology

Objectives: Acute insults from viruses, infections, or alcohol are established causes of decompensation leading to acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Information regarding drugs as triggers of ACLF is lacking. We examined data regarding drugs producing ACLF and analyzed clinical features, laboratory characteristics, outcome, and predictors of mortality in patients with drug-induced ACLF.

Metods: We identified drugs as precipitants of ACLF among prospective cohort of patients with ACLF from the Asian Pacific Association of Study of Liver (APASL) ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) database. Drugs were considered precipitants after exclusion of known causes together with a temporal association between exposure and decompensation. Outcome …

Gastric-Type Enteric Duplication Cyst In The Tail Of A Bifid Pancreas In Association With Complete Intestinal Malrotation, Muhammad Awais, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Abstract are not provided by the author/publisher

Xanthogranulomatous Pyelonephritis: Synchronous Upper And Lower Gastrointestinal Bleed, Muhammad Usman Mirza, John Van Taunay, Muhammad Waleed, Shiva Shankar Vangimalla, Sharana Hegde, Muhamad Alhaj Moustafa

Medical College Documents

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is a rare chronic granulomatous destructive process of the renal parenchyma. It is caused by a chronic inflammatory process due to recurrent urinary tract infections and/or obstructing renal calculi. Rarely, it presents with advanced complications including abscesses and fistula formations. In this article, we report a unique presentation of XGP with simultaneous upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding in the setting of XGP with reno-gastric and reno-colic fistulas.

Understanding Constipation: A Cross-Sectional Study From A Developing Country Setting, Minaz Mawani, Abdul Azeem, Sakina Gheewala, Nazish Butt, Shahab Abid

Section of Gastroenterology

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Gastroenterology Clinics of The Aga Khan Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi. All patients complaining of constipation were included. Patients with alarm features were excluded. Interviews were conducted by trained doctors using a structured Rome III based pre-tested questionnaire and Bristol Stool Form Scale. Out of 396 participants, 186 (47.0%) had FC and 209 (52.7%) had IBS-C. Based upon Bristol Stool Form Scale, only 214 (54%) reported to have slow transit constipation (BSS <2). A higher proportion of women reported severe form of constipation as compared to men (81.5%, n=150 vs. 65.1%, n=138 p<0.001). However, a higher percentage of men reported using medications to treat their symptoms (71.2%, n=151 vs. 57.1%, n=105 p=0.003). Proper understanding of patient's symptoms is essential for optimizing individual patient management.

Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders And Gut-Brain Axis: What Does The Future Hold?, Kashif Mukhtar, Hasham Nawaz, Shahab Abid

Section of Gastroenterology

Despite their high prevalence, lack of understanding of the exact pathophysiology of the functional gastrointestinal disorders has restricted us to symptomatic diagnostic tools and therapies. Complex mechanisms underlying the disturbances in the bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain have a vital role in the pathogenesis and are key to our understanding of the disease phenomenon. Although we have come a long way in our understanding of these complex disorders with the help of studies on animals especially rodents, there need to be more studies in humans, especially to identify the therapeutic targets. This review study looks at …

Impact Of Sepsis And Non-Communicable Diseases On Prognostic Models To Predict The Outcome Of Hospitalized Chronic Liver Disease Patients, Fakhar Qazi, Shahab Abid, Preet Ayoub Shaikh, Safia Awan

Section of Gastroenterology

AIM: To evaluate the impact of sepsis and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on the outcome of decompensated chronic liver disease(CLD) patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, medical records of patients with CLD admitted to the Gastroenterology unit at the Aga Khan University Hospital were reviewed. Patients older than 18 years with decompensation of CLD (i.e., jaundice, ascites, encephalopathy, and/or upper gastrointestinal bleed) as the primary reason for admission were included, while those who were admitted for reasons other than decompensation of CLD were excluded. Each patient was followed for 6 wk after index admission to assess mortality, prolonged hospital …

Rapid Development Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Eradication Of Hepatitis C Virus With Directly Acting Antiviral Treatment, Fakhar Ali Qazi Arisar, Saeed Hamid

Section of Gastroenterology

Hepatitis C is a major risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), arising typically on a background of liver cirrhosis. Treatment of hepatitis C has been revolutionized by the addition of oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) with sustained virological response (SVR) rates above 90%. There is a recent concern under debate about the increased risk of early HCC recurrence in patients with chronic hepatitis C who were treated with direct-acting antivirals. Nonetheless, these reports mostly focused on patients who were cirrhotic and were already treated for HCC. We report 4 cases of treatment naive, chronic hepatitis C patients who …

Assessment Of Malnutrition In Patients With Liver Cirrhosis Using Protein Calorie Malnutrition (Pcm) Score Verses Bio-Electrical Impedance Analysis (Bia), Om Parkash, Wasim Jafri, S. M. Munir, Romaina Iqbal

Section of Gastroenterology

Objective: Malnutrition is a common problem in patients with liver cirrhosis and tools for nutritional assessment are under debate. We conducted this study to assess prevalence of malnutrition in cirrhotic patients using PCM score and BIA. Additionally we compared BIA to PCM score for detecting malnutrition in this patient population.

Results: This was a cross sectional study conducted in two tertiary care hospitals of Karachi Pakistan on adults with liver cirrhosis. Malnutrition was assessed by PCM score using anthropometric measurements and biological specimens and (ii) Body cell mass was assessed using BIA. Malnutrition as estimated by the PCM score was …

Predictors Of Serious Findings On Bi-Directional Endoscopy In Young Patients With Anemia And Gi Symptoms, Faisal Aslam, A. B. Khalid, Faraz Siddiqui, Yamna Jadoon

Section of Gastroenterology

Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) has been cited as the most common cause of anemia globally. Gastrointestinal (GI) lesions are amongst the common cause of IDA. Endoscopic evaluation is the most effective way to investigate the IDA. The aim of this study was to show the association of alarming GI symptoms with abnormal endoscopic findings and to cut off the burden and cost of unnecessary endoscopies.

Methods: This is cross sectional study of anemic patient who underwent upper and lower GI endoscopies in Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi between July-December 2016.

Results: Total 243 patients were identified after excluding ineligible …

Treatment Of People Diagnosed With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection, Marc Bulterys, Saeed Hamid

Section of Gastroenterology

No abstract provided.

Ahsg Rs4918 Polymorphism Poses A Weak Predisposition To Insulin Resistance During Pregnancy, Aisha Tariq, Aleezay Asghar, Faiza Alam, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Medical College Documents

Objective: To identify the association between Fetuin-A levels and genetic polymorphism with gestational diabetes mellitus among pregnant women visiting a tertiary care centre.

Methods: This cross-sectional case-control study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from December 2015 to September 2016, and comprised pregnant women in their second trimester. Those with gestational diabetes mellitus were considered the cases while the rest acted as controls. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify Fetuin-A levels while genotyping for alpha-2-Heremans-Schmidglycoprotein rs4918 was performed using restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Blood samples were collected and serum and deoxyribonucleic acid were extracted and …

Curbing The Hepatitis C Virus Epidemic In Pakistan: The Impact Of Scaling Up Treatment And Prevention For Achieving Elimination, Aaron G. Lim, Huma Qureshi, Hassan Mahmood, Saeed Hamid, Charlotte F. Davies, Adam Trickey, Nancy Glass, Quaid Saeed, Hannah Fraser, Josephine G. Walker,

Department of Medicine

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a global health strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis. We project the treatment and prevention requirements to achieve the WHO HCV elimination target of reducing HCV incidence by 80% and HCV-related mortality by 65% by 2030 in Pakistan, which has the second largest HCV burden worldwide.
Methods: We developed an HCV transmission model for Pakistan, and calibrated it to epidemiological data from a national survey (2007), surveys among people who inject drugs (PWID), and blood donor data. Current treatment coverage data came from expert opinion and published reports. The model projected the HCV …

Effect Of Stem Cell And Vitamin E For The Reduction Of Liver Fibrosis, Sulaiman Shams, Salman Khan, Muhammad Ayaz, Haider Ali Khan, Hammad Hassan

Centre for Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cell Research

Liver disease is seventh leading cause of death worldwide. In the past, liver transplantation was thought to be the only treatment for the last stage liver disease but currently stem cells therapy is an alternative method for the treatment of liver disease. So mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation is one of the best tool for treatment of liver disease. The aim of the current study was to investigate the combined effect of vitamin E (Vit E) and MSCs on liver fibrosis. Liver damage was induced in male albino mice intraperitoneally with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) twice a week for six weeks. …

Training In Emerging Advances In Chronic Hepatitis C Infection In Pakistan: The Teach-Pak Project, Faisal Wasim Ismail, Shahab Abid, Minaz Mawani, Wasim Jafri, Saeed Hamid

Section of Gastroenterology

Purpose: Viral hepatitis B and C represent the primary health challenge confronting Asia and Pakistan. With direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C, patients will be treated by general physicians (GPs) and will need training through continuing medical education (CME). Blended learning is a combination of didactic teaching with online, self-paced learning, and it has not been evaluated as a CME tool for general physicians. We aimed to compare the change in physician's knowledge about chronic viral hepatitis following a blended learning educational program.
Methods: Participants enrolled in a 6 week blended learning program comprising three modules, each of 2 weeks …

Impact Of Direct Acting Antivirals On Occurrence And Recurrence Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Biologically Plausible Or An Epiphenomenon?, Amna Subhan Butt, Fatima Sharif, Shahab Abid

Section of Gastroenterology

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) is the most common cause of HCC in many European countries, Japan and Pakistan. Introduction of the new direct acting antivirals (DAAs) has revolutionized the management of HCV worldwide, with high rates of sustained virologic response in patients who could not have tolerated the previous interferon based treatments. However, recently there have been reports raising caution about the long term effects of DAAs, particularly a possible increased risk of HCC. Therefore this review explores the current molecular studies as well as clinical …

Direct Detection Of Shigella In Stool Specimens By Use Of A Metagenomic Approach, Jie Liu, Mathieu Almeida, Furqan Kabir, Sadia Shakoor, Shahida Qureshi, Anita K. M. Zaidi, Shan Li, Boubou Tamboura, Samba O. Sow, Inacio Mandomando

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The underestimation of Shigella species as a cause of childhood diarrhea disease has become increasingly apparent with quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based diagnostic methods versus culture. We sought to confirm qPCR-based detection of Shigella via a metagenomics approach. Three groups of samples were selected from diarrheal cases from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study: nine Shigella culture-positive and qPCR-positive (culture⁺ qPCR⁺) samples, nine culture-negative but qPCR-positive (culture^- qPCR⁺) samples, and nine culture-negative and qPCR-negative (culture^- qPCR^-) samples. Fecal DNA was sequenced using paired-end Illumina HiSeq, whereby 3.26 × 10⁸ ± 5.6 × 10 …

A Rare Cause Of Recurrent Constipation With Abdominal Pain And Distension, Shahab Abid, Dawar Khan

Section of Gastroenterology

No abstract provided.

Prevalence And Risk Of Hepatitis E Virus Infection In The Hiv Population Of Nepal, Ananta Shrestha, Anurag Adhikar, Manjula Bhattarai, Ramanuj Rauniyar, Jose D. Debes, André Boonstra, Thupten K. . Lama, Mamun Al Mahtab, Amna Subhan Butt, Sheikh Mohammad Fazle Akbar

Section of Gastroenterology

Background: Infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV) can cause acute hepatitis in endemic areas in immune-competent hosts, as well as chronic infection in immune-compromised subjects in non-endemic areas. Most studies assessing HEV infection in HIV-infected populations have been performed in developed countries that are usually affected by HEV genotype 3. The objective of this study is to measure the prevalence and risk of acquiring HEV among HIV-infected individuals in Nepal.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated 459 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-positive individuals from Nepal, an endemic country for HEV, for seroprevalence of HEV and assessed risk factors associated with HEV infection. …

De Novo Descending Aorta Thrombus In A Patient With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Case Report, Om Parkash, Adil Ayub, Buria Naeem, Saeed Hamid

Section of Gastroenterology

Thromboembolic events in patients with cancer are frequently reported in literature and usually involve the venous circulation. De novo thrombus formation in the arterial system without any underlying atherosclerosis, dissection or aneurysm is extremely rare. We report the case of a patient with metastatic colorectal carcinoma who developed a thrombus in the descending aorta without any intervention or risk factors. The patient presented with non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms. A CT scan revealed an aortic thrombus obstructing 70% of the lumen. She opted for no treatment of her thrombus and was later complicated by extensive lower limb emboli. Patients with aortic thrombosis …

Covering The Cover, Wei Wu, Jingdi Chen, Qianshan Ding, Dongmei Yang, Honggang Yu, Jun Lin

Department of Medicine

Background/Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection has been widely accepted. At present, the number of antiplatelet (APT) users has been growing. Moreover, because of high risks of thromboembolism, some patients need to continuously receive APT agents. The relationship between hemorrhage and continuous therapy with low-dose aspirin (LDA) remains controversial.

Materials and Methods: A systematic search was conducted; studies were screened out- if data of no-anticoagulant/APT drugs use and interrupted and continued-LDA use were reported separately. The Newcastle-scale was chosen to assess the quality of the included studies. Review Manager 5.2 was used for quality assessment statistical analysis, and the odd ratio (OR) …

Response To Comment On Ahsan Ali Syed Et Al (J Pak Med Assoc 2017; 67: 400-404 Frequency Of Worsening Liver Function In Severe Dengue Hepatitis Patients Receiving Paracetamol: A Retrospective Analysis Of Hospital Data, Syed Ahsan Ali

Section of Gastroenterology

No abstract provided.

Clinical Characteristics And Outcome Of Budd-Chiari Syndrome At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan., Om Parkash, Aysha Khan, Saeed Hamid

Section of Gastroenterology

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical characteristics of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS), its causes and outcome at a tertiary care hospital.

STUDY DESIGN: An observational study

.PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The Aga Khan University Hospital,Karachi, from 2004 to 2014.

METHODOLOGY: Aretrospective analysis of data was conducted. Apredesigned questionnaire was filled from medical records of patients with BCS. Clinical features, etiology, management and outcome was noted from 2004 to 2014. Descriptive statistics were determined.

RESULTS: Forty-five patients' charts were reviewed; 26 (57.8%) were male patients. The median (IQR) age at diagnosis was 26.0 (20.5 to 34.5) years. Primary BCS was seen in …

Causal Pathways From Enteropathogens To Environmental Enteropathy: Findings From The Mal-Ed Birth Cohort Study, Margaret N. Kosek, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Anita K. M. Zaidi, Imran Ahmed, Syed Asad Ali, Muneera Rasheed, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Ali Turab, Didar Alam, Shahida Qureshi

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Environmental enteropathy (EE), the adverse impact of frequent and numerous enteric infections on the gut resulting in a state of persistent immune activation and altered permeability, has been proposed as a key determinant of growth failure in children in low- and middle-income populations. A theory-driven systems model to critically evaluate pathways through which enteropathogens, gut permeability, and intestinal and systemic inflammation affect child growth was conducted within the framework of the Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) birth cohort study that included children from eight countries. …

Distribution Of Gastric Carcinoma In An Area With A High Prevalence Of Helicobacter Pylori., Javed Yakoob, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Z Abbas, Syed Farrukh Mustafa, Hamza Abdur Rahim Khan, Muhammad Faraz Raghib, Safia Awan, Zubair Ahmad

Section of Gastroenterology

BACKGROUND/AIMS:

South Asia is an enigma for gastric cancer (GC) because it is a low risk region with a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections. We evaluated the trend of GC clinical presentation and risk factors in patients with dyspeptic symptoms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The medical records of patients, coded by the international classification of diseases (ICD-10-CM, 2015, Diagnosis Code C16.9) for malignancies of stomach diagnosed by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and histopathology, were studied.

RESULTS:

394 GC cases with a mean age of 54±15 years, range of 18 to 88, were analyzed. 256 (65%) were male. Distal non-cardiac and …

Frequency Of Worsening Liver Function In Severe Dengue Hepatitis Patients Receiving Paracetamol: A Retrospective Analysis Of Hospital Data., Ahsan Ali Syed, Faisal Aslam, Haris Hakeem, Faraz Siddiqui, Noreen Nasir

Department of Medicine

Objective: To determine the frequency of worsening liver function among hospital in-patients with severe dengue hepatitis receiving paracetamol.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised records of dengue patients with severe hepatitis who received paracetamol for control of fever between June 2007 and December 2014. Alanine aminotransferase at baseline and following paracetamol administration was noted, as well as dosage and duration of paracetamol, along with participants' demographic details. Frequency of patients who developed worsening or improvement of alanine aminotransferase was also noted. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis. …