Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia diagnosis: A case report

This case report presents a 13-year-old patient with a lung nodule identified on a chest radiograph in the emergency department during an evaluation of knee and side pain after a fall. The patient had nosebleeds, family history of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and after chest computed tomography with angiography, the nodule was defined as a single pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM). Neither parent nor patient had been evaluated for HHT, an autosomal dominant disease, despite the family history. This patient satisfied the clinical criteria for the diagnosis and had a confirmatory genetic test, which led to diagnosis in mother also. The patient's PAVMs were treated, decreasing the risk of life threatening complications. Diagnosing HHT in children is often delayed or missed, even in families with HHT, as in this case report. Without any physical signs or clinical symptoms, families and healthcare providers often dismiss the possibility of the diagnosis. Children with HHT are at the same risk for complications of stroke, anemia, hypoxemia, heart failure and increased morbidity as adults. It is essential to recognize the importance of family history when evaluating children in primary care and urgent settings, as this patient's diagnosis was delayed 13 years. Awareness of HHT signs and symptoms are essential to early referral to an HHT specialist, for diagnosis and management.