Issue Date
2022-04-21Keywords
acute generalised peritonitisacute rheumatology
churg-strauss syndrome
high-dose methylprednisolone
impending pericardial effusion
intermittent claudication
internal medicine and rheumatology
mepolizumab
pulmonary sarcoidosis
surgical acute abdomen
Metadata
Show full item recordJournal
CureusDOI
10.7759/cureus.24342PubMed ID
35607552Abstract
Case presentation: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) or Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a rare, autoimmune vasculitis usually affecting small and medium-sized blood vessels in its later phases. It is a diffuse, systemic, multisystem disease that is reported to present with gastrointestinal manifestations but very rarely as an acute abdomen secondary to eosinophilic peritonitis. A 28-year-old relatively healthy male with a pre-existing diagnosis of inactive pulmonary sarcoidosis presented to the emergency department with an acute abdomen. After an exploratory laparotomy, multi-specialty involvement, and extensive investigations to exclude other differentials, a diagnosis of EGPA was made. The patient was treated with systemic glucocorticoids initially, followed by a tapering course of steroids and anti-interleukin 5 monoclonal antibodies as maintenance upon remission. EGPA can manifest in a myriad of ways including an acute abdomen, and medical treatment is useful in managing this presentation. Surgeons should be aware of the atypical causes of acute abdomen and should routinely broaden their differential diagnosis to include medical pathologies.Item Type
ArticleOther
Language
enISSN
2168-8184ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.7759/cureus.24342