4. Stomach Flashcards
Diseases of the stomach
- Congenital anomalities
- Diaphragmatic Hernia
- Pyloric Stenosis - Acute gastritis
- Chronic gastritis
- Helicobacter pylori gastritis
- Autoimmune gastritis
- Eosinophilic gastritis
- Lymphocytic gastritis (Varioliform gastritis)
- Tuberculous gastritis - Peptic ulcer disease
- Hypertrophic gastropathies
- Ménétrier Disease
- Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome - Neoplasms
- Gastric adenocarcinoma
- Gastric neuroendocrine tumours (Carcinoids)
- Gastric lymphoma
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GIST)
Diaphragmatic Hernia
- Due to incomplete closure of pleuroperitoneal canals
- Leads to herniation of abdominal viscera into thoracic cavity
- May lead to pulmonary hypoplasia due to space-filling effect of the displaced viscera
Pyloric stenosis
- Congenital pyloric stenosis
- More common in males
- Genetic associations: trisomy 18, Turner syndrome
- Presents in 2nd-3rd week of life as persistent projectile vomiting
- Can be corrected surgically with myotomy - Acquired pyloric stenosis
- Due to antral gastritis or peptic ulcers near pylorus
Definition of acute gastritis
Acute, transient gastric mucosal inflammatory process
Causes of acute gastritis
- Drugs
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Corticosteroids
- Cigarette smoking - Direct-acting luminal chemicals
- Alcohol
- Bile salts (in bile reflux, e.g. post-gastrectomy)
- Corrosives - Stress
- Severe burn or trauma (gives rise to Curling’s ulcers)
- Intracranial lesions (gives rise to Cushing’s ulcers)
- Post-myocardial infarction - Ischemia
- Shock
- Portal hypertension
- High altitudes - Chemotherapy
Pathogenesis of acute gastritis
- Increased acid secretion with back-diffusion
- Decreased bicarbonate buffer production
- By NH4+ produced due to action of Helicobacter pylori urease activity on urea - Reduced blood flow
- Decreased gastric perfusion (e.g. in shock)
- Decreased production of cytoprotective prostaglandins (by NSAIDs & corticosteroids) - Disruption of adherent mucus layer
- Direct damage to gastric epithelium
- By direct-acting luminal agents (alcohol, bile salts)
- Chemotherapy reduces epithelial regeneration
Pathological Effects & Complications of acute gastritis
- Erosions (loss of superficial epithelium, generating a defect limited to the lamina propria)
- Ulcers (extension of erosion beyond lamina propria)
- Epigastric pain, indigestion
- Bleeding, which may present as:
- Hematemesis, with coffee grounds (gastric-digested blood seen in the esophagus during endoscopy)
- Melena (tarry foul-smelling stools)
Definition of chronic gastritis
Chronic gastric mucosal inflammation leading to mucosal atrophy & intestinal metaplasia of gastric epithelium; has several types but by far, the most important & common type is Helicobacter pylori gastritis
Most common form of chronic gastritis
Helicobacter pylori gastritis
Cause of Helicobacter pylori Gastritis
Due to H. pylori colonization of the gastric mucosa
- H. pylori found within mucous layer on surface
- H. pylori has tropism for gastric-type mucosa
- Colonization increases with age
Helicobacter pylori gastritis typically affects
The antrum (antral gastritis)
Histology of Helicobacter pylori gastritis
- Active inflammation (intraepithelial neutrophils which may accumulate in gastric pits to form crypt abscesses, subepithelial macrophages, plasma cells & lymphocytes which in severe cases may form lymphoid follicles with germinal centres)
- Regenerative changes (mitoses in epithelium, loss of mucous vacuoles)
- Intestinal metaplasia (appearance of goblet cells)
- Mucosal atrophy (loss in glandular structures &
specialized cells) - Potentially: hyperplasia → dysplasia → carcinoma-
in-situ → carcinoma
Endoscopy of Helicobacter pylori gastritis
Erythematous antral mucosa with coarse/nodular appearance
Diagnosis of H. pylori infection for Helicobacter pylori gastritis
- Urea breath test (drink radioactively labeled urea, if
H. pylori present, urease activity on urea will released
radioactive CO2 that can be detected in the breath) - Serology (H. pylori antibodies in serum)
- Histology (detection of spiral organisms within
surface mucous with special stains – e.g. Warthin-
Starry silver stain) - Culture (microaerophilic conditions)
Pathological effects & complications of Helicobacter pylori gastritis
- Mostly asymptomatic
- Peptic ulcer disease
- Chronic atrophic gastritis
- Malignancies (gastric carcinoma, gastric lymphoma)
Autoimmune Gastritis
Due to autoantibodies produced against gastric
components:
1. Gastric parietal cells (90%)
2. Intrinsic factor (60%)
Association of autoimmune gastritis
Associated with other autoimmune disorders:
- Graves disease
- Diabetes mellitus
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Autoimmune gastritis typically affects
The body of the stomach
Pathological effects & complications of autoimmune gastritis
- Hypochlorhydria & secondary hypergastrinemia
- Vitamin B12 deficiency (due to decrease in intrinsic factor production by parietal cells) with resultant megaloblastic (pernicious) anemia
- Increased risk of adenocarcinoma
Causes of reactive gastritis
- Chemical injury
- NSAID use
- Bile reflux
Histology of reactive gastritis
- Foveolar hyperplasia
- Glandular regenerative changes
- Mucosal edema
Endoscopy of reactive gastritis
Endoscopically: Watermelon stomach
- Longitudinal stripes of edematous erythematous mucosa alternating with less severely injured mucosa