ap exam 2 GI Flashcards
Gastroesophageal refluxdisorder
- Commonly known as “GERD”
- Occurs when there is reflux of gastric /intestinal contents back into the esophagus
- Repeated exposure causes irritation / damage togastric mucosa
- Many cases are episodic and related topredisposing factors such as diet
- If untreated, can progress to a more severecondition known as erosive esophagitis
pathophysiology of reflux
- Transient Lower Esophageal Relaxation(tLER) seems to be the most common factor inmild/ moderate cases
- Normally lower esophageal sphincter (aka cardiac sphincter) is kept closed
- During the swallowing phase, the lower esophageal sphincter opens
- This opening is called Lower esophageal relaxation (LER)
- In patients with GERD, tLER occurs with no swallowing
- Decreased esophageal sphincter tone is alsoa contributing factor
•More commonly associated with severe refluxesophagitis
other causes of reflux
- Increased intragastric pressure
- Delayed gastric emptying
- Hiatal hernia: part of the stomach bulges into the chest;
- It delays acid clearance
Barrett’s esophagus
- Repeated gastric reflux causes conversion ofnormal esophageal squamous epithelium intocolumnar epithelium
- More resistant to acidic damage
- Is a risk factor for esophagealcancer
GERD clinical presentation mild
GERD clinical presentation severe
vSevere cases (esophagitis)
- Bleeding (hematemesis / melena)
- Hematemesis is the vomiting of blood
- Melena is black, tarry stools
- Ulcerations
- Significant weight loss
- Morning hoarseness / laryngitis
- Coughing / wheezing
- Pulmonary aspiration
- food, liquids, saliva, or vomit is breathed into the airways.
- Aspiration pneumonia
Pulmonary fibrosis
Peptic Ulcer Disease
vUlcerative disorder of the uppergastrointestinal tract
- Gastric ulcer (potentially malignant)
- Duodenal ulcer (rarely malignant)
- Stress ulcers
- Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
Peptic ulcer disease causes and complications
vEpigastric pain is the most common symptom of both gastric and duodenal ulcers.
- Common causes may include:
- Helicobacter pylori
- NSAIDs
- Life styles: Smoking, Alcohol? Diet?
- Psychological factors?
- Genetic factors
- Complications include:
- Bleeding
- Obstruction
- Peroration
Duodenal Ulcer characyeristics
- In duodenum
- Pain relived by meal
- Occurs 2-3 hrs after meal
- are 3x more common than gastric ulcers
- Increased acid secretion
- Gastric emptying is often increased
- Malignancy risk low
- Melena
- bleeding, perforation, and obstruction
gastric ulcer characteristics
- In stomach
- Pain increased by meal
- Occurs 0.5-1 hrs after meal
- Are less common than duodenal ulcers
- Normal acid secretion
- Gastric emptying is often delayed
- Malignancy risk higher
- Vomitting
- bleeding, perforation, and obstruction
Evidences Implicating H. pylori
- Extremely high prevalence of organism in patients with both DU and GU
- Patients with ulcers who are treated with antisecretory agents may heal, but relapse rates are high in patients who are H. pylori positive
- Antibiotic regimens that eradicate organism significantly reduce the incidence of relapse rates
Evidences Exonerating H. pylori
- DU are predominant in males, but the organism is not gender-specific
- Many patients with positive cultures are asymptomatic and will never develop PUD
- Ulcers can heal with antisecretory treatment despite the presence of the organism
- Acid hypersecretion can cause duodenal ulcers without presence of organism
Helicobacter pylori conclusion
vConclusions
- H. pylori infections undoubtedly implicated inpeptic ulcer disease, chronic gastritis and gastric cancer
- Eradication of the organism results in lowrelapse rates
- However, other factors must be contributing to thedevelopment of the disease
- Presence of ulcers in culture (-) patients
- Lack of disease in culture (+) patients
what are stress ulcers and it risk factors
vObserved in patients with highphysiological stress
•Estimated 75-100% of patients have stress- relatedmucosal damage within 24 hours of admission toICUs
•Risk factors
- Shock
- Burns
- Sepsis
Severe trauma
stres ulcer pathophysiology and mechanism
Pathophysiology
•Gastric acid is involved, but hypersecretion istypically not seen
2 main accepted mechanisms
- Mucosal ischemia
- Decreased oxygen delivery
- Decreased bicarbonate delivery to site
- Reduced removal of gastric acid
- Enhanced back diffusion of hydrogen ions
Zollinger -Ellison Syndrome
- Gastrin-secreting Tumors (Gastrinoma)
- Often in duodenum(50–90%), less frequently in pancreas (10–40%) or gastric wall (up to 10%)
- Pathophysiology
- Excessive acid production
- Serous and aggressive peptic ulcers
- Symptoms: abdominal pain; chronic diarrhea, dyspepsia; weight loss; bleeding
- Complications: hemorrhage, perforation, and obstruction
- Treatment: surgery; H2 antagonists; and anticholinergics; antacids
Inflammatory Bowel Disease(IBD)
- IBD is a group of chronic inflammatorydisorders
- 2 major classifications
- Ulcerative colitis: continous colonic involvement
- Crohn’s disease: skip lesion
True etiology unknown