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Chronic Abdominal Pain and Anemia in a 59-Year-Old Man

Educational Objective
Based on this clinical scenario and the accompanying image, understand how to arrive at a correct diagnosis.
1 Credit CME

A 59-year-old elementary school principal with a history of cholecystectomy and appendectomy and no use of alcohol, illicit drugs, or cigarettes presented to the emergency department for the fourth time in 3 months with diffuse abdominal pain not associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, hematochezia, weight loss, fever, or anorexia. On physical examination, the patient had normal vital signs, mild diffuse abdominal tenderness without rebound or guarding, and bluish pigmentation along his gingival margin (Figure, panel A). Blood testing showed alanine aminotransferase level 51 U/L (0.85 μkat/L; reference range, 7-23 U/L [0.12-0.38 μkat/L]), aspartate aminotransaminase 68 U/L (1.14 μkat/L; reference range, 13-30 U/L [0.22-0.50 μkat/L]), total bilirubin 3.2 mg/dL (54.73 μmol/L; reference range, 0.4-1.5 mg/dL [6.84-25.66 μmol/L]) and direct bilirubin 0.9 mg/dL (15.39 μmol/L; reference range, 0.0-0.4 mg/dL [0.0-6.84 μmol/L]). Hemoglobin level was 8.7 g/dL with a normal mean corpuscular volume, and ferritin level was 637.9 ng/mL (reference range, 39.9-465 ng/mL). Blood testing revealed normal lactate dehydrogenase, haptoglobin, iron, vitamin B12, folate, zinc, and copper levels, and results of urinalysis were normal. A peripheral blood smear demonstrated small, bluish-purple punctate inclusions in erythrocytes (Figure, panel B). Results of upper and lower endoscopy and abdominal-pelvic computed tomography performed within the past 3 months were unremarkable.

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A 59-year-old elementary school principal with a history of cholecystectomy and appendectomy and no use of alcohol, illicit drugs, or cigarettes presented to the emergency department for the fourth time in 3 months with diffuse abdominal pain not associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, hematochezia, weight loss, fever, or anorexia. On physical examination, the patient had normal vital signs, mild diffuse abdominal tenderness without rebound or guarding, and bluish pigmentation along his gingival margin (Figure, panel A). Blood testing showed alanine aminotransferase level 51 U/L (0.85 μkat/L; reference range, 7-23 U/L [0.12-0.38 μkat/L]), aspartate aminotransaminase 68 U/L (1.14 μkat/L; reference range, 13-30 U/L [0.22-0.50 μkat/L]), total bilirubin 3.2 mg/dL (54.73 μmol/L; reference range, 0.4-1.5 mg/dL [6.84-25.66 μmol/L]) and direct bilirubin 0.9 mg/dL (15.39 μmol/L; reference range, 0.0-0.4 mg/dL [0.0-6.84 μmol/L]). Hemoglobin level was 8.7 g/dL with a normal mean corpuscular volume, and ferritin level was 637.9 ng/mL (reference range, 39.9-465 ng/mL). Blood testing revealed normal lactate dehydrogenase, haptoglobin, iron, vitamin B12, folate, zinc, and copper levels, and results of urinalysis were normal. A peripheral blood smear demonstrated small, bluish-purple punctate inclusions in erythrocytes (Figure, panel B). Results of upper and lower endoscopy and abdominal-pelvic computed tomography performed within the past 3 months were unremarkable.

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Article Information

Corresponding Author: Mitsuyo Kinjo, MD, MPH, Okinawa Chubu Hospital, 281 Miyazato, Uruma City, Okinawa, 904-2293, Japan (kinjomitsuyo@gmail.com).

Published Online: June 24, 2022. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.9194

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr K. Kinjo reported receiving book royalties from Igakushoin Ltd and Medical Science International Ltd. No other disclosures were reported.

Additional Contributions: We thank Joel Branch, MD (Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, Japan), Rita McGill, MD, MS (Department of Nephrology, University of Chicago), and Mitsuru Mukaigawara, MD, MPP (Harvard University), for their helpful comments and language correction of this manuscript. These individuals received no compensation for their contributions. We thank the patient for providing permission to share his information.

AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

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