title: A 22-year-old male patient with ascites.
abstract: A 22-year-old male patient presented with a 3-day history of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. He reported abdominal distention of a couple of weeks' duration. He had been hospitalised 7 months earlier, owing to the same symptoms, however, the cause was never clarified. Initial examination showed abdominal distention and blood tests indicated eosinophilia. An abdominal CT scan showed mild ascites and a diffuse thickening of the small intestinal loops, and a cystic formation 3 cm in diameter on the liver. The differential diagnosis included parasite infection and eosinophilic gastroenteritis. Liver MRI revealed a simple biliary cyst. Microbiological tests, stool and blood cultures as well as stool examination for parasites were negative. The diagnostic paracentesis revealed eosinophilic ascites. An endoscopy was performed and histopathology revealed presence of moderate to marked lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate containing eosinophils, compatible with eosinophilic gastroenteritis. The patient responded well to the initiation of corticosteroids.
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, EPE, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saraiva
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, EPE, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Filipe
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, EPE, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Adélia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simão
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, EPE, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000473:pathology*; D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D001201:Ascites / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004751:Enteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult