Juvenile polyps with cachexia. Report of an infant and comparison with Cronkhite-Canada syndrome in adults.
Juvenile polyps occur in adults and infants; where multiple, they may be complicated by progressive cachexia with hypoalbuminemia and electrolyte depletion. We report a fatal case of multiple juvenile polyposis with cachexia, alopecia, and megalocephaly presenting in a 9-month-old infant, and review 2 additional cases in infancy. A similar syndrome in adults had been described by Cronkhite and Canada, with intestinal polyposis, nail dystrophy, hyperpigmentation, and alopecia. Histological examination of a polyp from one case of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome suggests a juvenile rather than adenomatous pathology. Multiple juvenile polyps can cause devastating enteropathy and cachexia.
D011125:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D002100:Cachexia / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged