Plummer Vinson Syndrome: First Two Tunisian Pediatric Cases

Abstract

Background: Plummer Vinson syndrome is a rare cause of dysphagia in children. It associates an oesophageal organic stenosis to a sideropenic anemia.Case Reports: Two Tunisian boys aged respectively 14 and 9 years-old were admitted to investigate dysphagia for solid foods. The adolescent patient was a black and he suffers from food blocking since 2 years ago. The assessment revealed a sideropenic anemia due to intestinal giardiasis. While the second patient was followed for a chronic anemia since he was 3 years old. For both of them, the swallow barium exploration showed an annular stenosis of the cervical esophagus mimicking "a thread knotted on a round tube" related to a circular web identified by fibroscopy. The iron supplementation and dilatation by the esophagoscope allowed the resolution of the clinical signs. Conclusion:Plummer Vinson syndrome exists in paediatric population. It should be evoked in any children presenting with upper dysphagia for solid foods in order to initiate iron supplementation and to watch for cancerous degeneration by regular followup.