[Congenital intestinal lymphangiectasia: a rare differential diagnosis in hypoproteinemia in infants].

BACKGROUND

Congenital intestinal lymphangiectasia is a rare disease in childhood, which may already cause protein-losing enteropathy in newborns.

METHODS

This is a case report of an infant with generalized edema and protein-losing enteropathy, in whom intestinal lymphangiectasia was diagnosed at the age of two months. Following repetitive intravenous albumin und gamma globulin infusions, the elimination of long-chain fats from the diet and the substitution with medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) led to an improvement of the protein-losing enteropathy.

CONCLUSIONS

In newborns with low level of serum protein and edema protein-losing enteropathy caused by congenital lymphangiectasia might be considered as a differential diagnosis.