• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.188-194
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• 2000

Achalasia is very uncommon in children, and cases accompanied with alacrima and adrenal insufficiency is even more uncommon. When these three disorders are seen altogether, it is called triple A syndrome. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner and has potentially life-threatening sequelae. So, pediatricians should always consider the possibility of triple A syndrome when seeing children with achalasia. Neurological abnormalities such as autonomic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy, sensory impairment and mental retardation occasionally accompany. We report a 2-year-old girl who presented with repeated vomiting, short stature and alacrima. Diagnosis of achalasia was made after perfoming esophagogram and endoscopy and was confirmed with esophageal manometry. After pneumatic dilatation, she became asymptomatic.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.11
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• pp.456-459
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• 2016

Triple-A syndrome, also known as Allgrove syndrome, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. The 3 features of this syndrome are achalasia, adrenal insufficiency, and alacrima. Achalasia could be the first manifestation of the triple-A syndrome; however, its etiology is unclear. Alacrima is generally asymptomatic but can be detected by obtaining patient history. Although adrenal insufficiency could have manifestations such as asthenia, it might be wrongly diagnosed as muscle fatigue. Vitamin D and calcium supplements are usually prescribed for the prevention of osteoporosis. Neurologic manifestations could be present in adults. In some individuals with this disorder, genetic examination indicates mutations in both alleles of the AAAS gene, which encodes a special 546-amino-acid protein designated ALADIN, and in chromosome 12q13. The genetic cause of the triple A syndrome in some patients who do not have an identified mutation is unknown. While very few such cases have been reported till date, one such case was presented to us as an edentulous child.