Curling ulcer in the setting of severe sunburn: A case report.

While sunburns are very common, especially in pediatrics, curling ulcers secondary to sunburns are a very rare entity that has not been noted in the literature in over fifty years. This case is the first addition to the literature since the originally documented case. A previously healthy 17 year old male presents to the emergency room with lethargy, shortness of breath on exertion, dark stools and nausea. His fatigue started to become significantly worse four days prior to admission. Approximately two weeks prior to admission, the patient was on a beach vacation with his family at which time he suffered severe sunburns. He had developed crampy epigastric abdominal pain, which was followed by dark, loose stools. On exam, he is non-toxic appearing, but with pallor and peeling skin on his face and chest with epigastric tenderness. Infectious stool studies were all negative including While the incidence of stress ulcers is not known, it is most common with severe acute illness, most commonly presenting as upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. It is essential to be aware of the risk of curling ulcers secondary to severe sunburns as patients with stress ulcer GI bleeding have increased morbidity and mortality compared to those who do not have GI bleed.

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Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest.