7. GI minor Flashcards
What are red flag symptoms associated with abdominal pain?
-Peritonitis
-Rigid abdomen
-Guarding
-Signs of shock
-Bilious vomiting
What can cause acute abdominal pain in children?
GI:
-Gastroenteritis
-Peptic ulcer
-Acute appendicitis
-Mesenteric adenitis
-IBD
-Constipation
-Diabetes
-Necrotising enterocolitis
-Malrotation with volvulus
-Intussusception
-Intestinal obstruction
Non-GI:
-UTI
-Diabetes
-Lower lobe pneumonia
-Renal calculi
-Henoch-Schonlein purpura
What is mesenteric adenitis?
-Swollen lymph glands in the stomach
-Occurs after recent viral infection
-Can mimic appendicitis
What is Henoch-Schonlein purpura?
-Disease causing inflammation of small blood vessels - skin, intestines, kidneys, joints
-Purpuric rash seen on legs + joint pain
What is malrotation with volvulus?
-Torsion of intestine causing compromised blood flow and closed loop obstruction
-A surgical emergency occurring in the first month of life
-Causes bilious vomiting, peritonitis, haemodynamic instability, difficulty feeding
What is intussusception?
-Part of the intestine folds into the section next to it
-Causes colic, shock, jelly stool
What are some red flags associated with recurrent abdominal pain?
-Weight loss
-Diarrhoea
-Blood PR
-Joint symptoms
-Rashes
-FHx of coeliac / IBD
What are some gynae causes of recurrent abdo pain?
-Dysmenorrhoea
-PID
-Ovarian cyst
-Haematocolpos (= vagina fills with menstrual blood due to imperforate hymen)
What causes appendicitis?
-Appendix becomes blocked by stool, foreign body, tumour, infection
–Appendix can swell in response to any infection in the body
-Uncommon in children <4
What are the components of McBurney’s triad?
-Pain in RIF
-Low grade fever
-N+V (usually only once or twice)
What signs would you expect to find with appendicitis?
-Pain on movement
-Tenderness in RIF
-Decreased bowel sounds
-Tachycardia
-Rovsing’s sign (= pain in RIF on palpation of LIF)
What is the pathophysiology of coeliac disease?
-Repeated exposure to gluten causes villous atrophy in the intestine
-Causing malabsorption
What investigations can be done to diagnose coeliac disease?
-TTG (=tissue transglutaminase) antibodies
-FBC, folate (iron deficiency anaemia)
-Jejunal biopsy (crypt hyperplasia, subtotal villous atrophy)
-TFTs)
What complications can arise from coeliac disease?
-Iron-deficiency anaemia
-Hyposplenism
-Osteoporosis
-Lactose intolerance
-Subfertility
-Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma of small intestine, rarely other malignancies
What is the mainstay of treatment for coeliac disease?
-Gluten free diet + re-challenge after 2 years
-Also give pneuomoccocal vaccine due to functional hyposplenism