International Medical Case Reports Journal (Jul 2023)
Could Plummer–Vinson Syndrome Be Associated with Celiac Disease?
Abstract
Abdullah Alfaris,1 Ghadi Awad Alamri,2 Amr Mohammed Kurdi,3,* Ammar Mallisho,4,* Nisreen Al Awaji2 1Rehabilitation Department, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Health Communication Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Internal Medicine and Critical Care, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Medical Imaging Department, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Nisreen Al Awaji, Department of Health Communication Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966118240791, Fax +966118220011, Email [email protected]: A 16-year-old female presented to our hospital clinic with a main complaint of difficulty swallowing. She reported mild dizziness and frequent fatigue and denied weight loss, fever, joint pain, or a history of diarrhea. Lab and physical results showed low weight; low hemoglobin, ferritin, and vitamin D levels; and a low red blood cell count. Swallowing assessment showed esophageal webs and swallowing difficulty, especially in the pharyngeal stage, and aspiration. It was initially suspected that clinical manifestations, including esophageal webs, iron deficiency anemia (IDA), and swallowing difficulty, were related to Plummer–Vinson syndrome (PVS). However, further investigations and pathological findings revealed several gastrointestinal manifestations consistent with celiac disease (CD). Based on this finding, the patient began a gluten-free diet for the management of CD. Afterward, she began to gain weight, followed by a resolution of swallowing difficulty. Therefore, clinicians should be familiar with the symptoms of CD when conducting a thorough clinical examination and maintain a high level of suspicion to rule out other causes and reach an accurate diagnosis. It is also recommended to screen all patients presenting with IDA, esophageal web, and dysphagia for CD even in the absence of diarrhea.Keywords: Plummer–Vinson syndrome, celiac disease, dysphagia, esophageal web, iron deficiency anemia
