Adult IgA vasculitis with intestinal obstruction as the first manifestation: a case report

Abstract

IgA vasculitis, or henoch-schönlein purpura, is an autoimmune disease that mainly affects multiple systems, such as skin, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, and joints. It is more common in children and adolescents, and relatively rare in adults involving the gastrointestinal tract. IgA vasculitis in adults presenting with intestinal obstruction as the first manifestation and involvement of inflammatory changes in the entire small intestine has been rarely reported. In this article, a 50-year old male patient initially presented with incomplete intestinal obstruction. Conventional treatment yielded low efficacy. Abdominal CT scan suggested that the disease gradually progressed from involving part of the small intestine into almost the entire small intestine, showing inflammatory changes of diffuse intestinal wall thickening complicated with blurred mesenteric fat gap. Subsequently, he developed skin purpura-like rash and bilateral knee joint swelling and pain. He was finally diagnosed with IgA vasculitis. Relevant symptoms were effectively relieved after hormone therapy. Abdominal CT scan indicated that the inflammatory changes of the entire small were healed.

Keywords

• |incomplete intestinal obstruction|iga vasculitis|joint swelling and pain|purpura-like rash