Kun Li,1,* Xuejia Pan,2,* Hongyu Guo,3 Saiping Jiang,4 Xueling Fang1 

1Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nursing, Hangzhou Xiaoying Community Health Service Center, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Xueling Fang, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79, Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China, Email xuelingfang@zju.edu.cn Saiping Jiang, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79, Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China, Email j5145@zju.edu.cn

Background: Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a systemic autoinflammatory disorder characterized by unpredictable multi-organ involvement. Although gastrointestinal complications are uncommon in AOSD, they can be life-threatening and present significant diagnostic and management challenges.
Case Summary: We report the case of a 68-year-old man with AOSD who developed acute intestinal obstruction, a rare and critical complication. Imaging revealed significant colonic wall thickening, with a maximum thickness of 2.6 cm on contrast-enhanced computed tomography. The clinical status of the patient deteriorated, further complicated by the onset of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and multi-organ failure, including acute renal dysfunction. Despite receiving intensive care and aggressive treatment, including supportive measures and immunosuppressive therapy, the patient succumbed to his illness.
Conclusion: This case underscores the importance of recognizing rare gastrointestinal and systemic complications in patients with AOSD. Early identification and prompt multidisciplinary management of conditions such as HLH and acute intestinal obstruction are essential for improving outcomes in such critical scenarios.

Keywords: acute intestinal obstruction, acute intestinal pseudo-obstruction, adult-onset Still’s disease, autoimmune disease, colonic, critical care, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, macrophage activation syndrome, multiple organ failure, multidisciplinary team (MDT)