Abstract

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare, non-familial hamartomatous polyposis syndrome characterized by multiple polyps in the entire gastrointestinal tract, nail dystrophy, skin pigmentation, and systemic alopecia. The clinical symptoms of this syndrome include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and alopecia often accompanied by taste disturbances, hypoalbuminemia, recurrent infections, nutritional absorption disturbances, heart failure, and gastrointestinal bleeding. We report a patient with CCS who was admitted complaining of hematochezia, melena, and a 1 month history of diarrhea, nail changes, taste disturbances, and alopecia. Upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, and capsule endoscopy were performed and showed numerous polyps in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Histological sections of these polyps showed edematous stroma and cystically dilated foveolar epithelium, which was consistent with CCS. We diagnosed CCS based on the clinical symptoms and the histological findings of the polyps found via endoscopy. We report on this case and review this syndrome. (Intest Res 2011;9:238-242)

• Keywords: Intestinal Polyposis; Capsule Endoscopy; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage; Melena