BACKGROUND
Kratom is a psychoactive substance that is isolated from the plant
Mitragyna speciosa
. The leaves can be chewed fresh or dried, smoked, or infused similar to herbal teas. The plant leaves have been used by natives of Southeast Asia for centuries. The substance has been used for its stimulant activity at low doses, and as an opium substitute at higher doses due to a morphine like effect.
CASE SUMMARY
A 37-year-old female with a history of depression and obesity (body mass index: 32) presented to emergency room with a week-long history of nausea, decreased appetite, fatigue, and two days of jaundice. On admission bilirubin was markedly elevated. Her condition was thought to be due to consumption of Kratom 2 wk before onset of symptoms. Liver biopsy showed changes mimicking primary biliary cholangitis. Patient’s symptoms and jaundice improved quickly.
CONCLUSION
The use of Kratom has been on the rise in recent years across the United States and Europe. Several case reports have associated adverse health impact of Kratom-containing products including death due to its ability to alter levels of consciousness. Only a few case reports have highlighted the hepatotoxic effects of Kratom. Even fewer reports exist describing the detailed histopathological changes.
We present a case of a young child with a rare metabolic disorder whose clinical presentation resembled that of autoimmune myasthenia gravis. The differential diagnosis was expanded when autoantibody testing was negative and the patient did not respond to standard immunomodulatory therapies. Rapid whole genome sequencing identified 2 rare variants of uncertain significance in the SLC52A3 gene shown to be in compound heterozygous state after parental testing. Biallelic mutations in SLC52A3 are associated with Riboflavin Transporter Deficiency, which in its untreated form, results in progressive neurodegeneration and death. Supplementation with oral riboflavin has been shown to limit disease progression and improve symptoms in some patients. When the diagnosis is suspected, patients should be started on supplementation immediately while awaiting results from genetic studies.
For a long time, improving care for hospitalized patients meant adding interventions-that is, "doing more stuff." However, simply doing more does not lead to better outcomes. 1 While we should implement best practices, it is very clear that we must also deimplement practices that are harmful, ineffective, overused, or not cost-effective. The cultural momentum of healthcare systems still pushes toward doing more-after all, "doing stuff" for sick patients feels good and makes sense in the moment.Recently, deimplementation of low-value care has been a major focus of research and quality improvement efforts in health care.
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