Patients and "cases" – a case of case report

Case reports, designed to describe and interpret an individual case, are often the first line of the evidence of the:

• Existence of unique disease or the condition,
• Important variations in the diseases and conditions,
• Of some unexpected events that may provide a new useful information.

Sometimes the “case” is so unique that the patient can be identified by the family, friends, employers against his/her will. For that reason, to enter the line of the evidence, authors of case reports must provide another evidence(s): evidence of the obedience of ethical standards, Helsinki declaration, evidence of the respect of the confidentiality and privacy, of the compliance with the HIPAA PHI rules and the local legislative norms, and particularly must submit properly signed informed consent. Only then the research can be approved and the paper published. In the case report we present today, you will not find the informed consent because we do not violate ethical standards, including HIPAA PHI. HIPAA PHI refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 - Protected Health Information. It is all about the standards for privacy of individually identifiable health information – as all SJSM students know. Rami Bayaa: Gastric perforation in Crohn's disease in a young female- a case study