Tacrolimus in Gastrointestinal Bleeding in a Young Boy With Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia

JPGN Rep. 2021 Oct 25;2(4):e133. doi: 10.1097/PG9.0000000000000133. eCollection 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is an autosomal dominant disease in which gastrointestinal bleeding is a rare presenting symptom in children. Gastrointestinal bleeding in children is treated locally by endoscopy. When a focus of bleeding cannot be reached by endoscopy, management of these patients can be challenging. Previous reports showed a favorable outcome of treatment with tacrolimus in an adult HHT patient with liver vascular malformations and epistaxis and in a HHT patient with pulmonary hypertension. We report the first pediatric HHT patient who benefited from tacrolimus treatment. Our case demonstrated a remarkable decline in blood transfusions and better quality of life during the period of tacrolimus treatment.

Keywords: Rendu Osler; Rendu Osler Weber; treatment.

Publication types

  • Case Reports