Case 25-1990

Presentation of Case First admission. A 63-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of recurrent diarrhea.The patient stated that he became malnourished as a prisoner of war during World War II, with a decrease in his weight from 90 to 74 kg and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. During the next 41 years he was well except for the passage of loose stools once or twice a week without associated abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting. The stools were not malodorous and did not contain recognizable blood. Twenty-two months before admission the patient had a 9-kg loss in weight over . . .