Case 1 - overview of clinical gastroenterology Flashcards
what percentage of primary care consultations are to do with GI disorders
10%
what are GI disorder symptoms
indigestion/heartburn/vomiting
abdominal pain
altered bowel habit (IBS, Crohn’s, diverticualr disease)
rectal bleeding
weight loss etc
what is diverticulosis
condition that occurs when small pouches or sacs form and push outward through weak sports in the wall of your colon (diverticulosis)
when does diverticulosis change to become diverticular disease
when it causes symptoms, bleeding, inflammation or complications, this is called diverticular disease
what are the symptoms of diverticular disease
constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain
what is altered bowel habit
diarrhoea - frequency increased, loose/liquid
constipation - frequency decreased, straining
what is the most important thing about altered bowel habit
it is change from the person’s normal habit
diagram showing the bristol stool form scale
what are some liver disease symptoms
abnormal bloods
jaundice
fatigue
abdominal swelling
what is the most common cause of liver disease
alcohol
what usually appears on the liver
cirrhosis
what is steatorrhea
is the increase in fat excretion in the stools
what are the 2 conflicting roles of the gut
digestion and absorption: get food and water in
vs
barrier function: keep bacteria and toxins out
facts about the gut cleanliness etc
10 times more bacteria than human cells
100 times more genes than in our genome
1kg of bugs in your bowel and they are a lot older
what are the investigations used in GI disease
bloods
endoscopies
biopsies
imaging
CT
MR
nuclear medicine
what are examples of gastrointestinal medical emergencies
GI bleeding
severe inflammatory bowel disease
perforation
obstruction
acute pancreatitis
appendicitis
what are severe inflammatory bowel diseases
Crohn’s and colitis
what are varices
abnormal blood vessel and is formed when the liver is very scarred
they can perforate and rupture and blleed and can lead to death
what is the treatment for a varice
an elastic band type of device is tied around the varice after it is sucked up into a tube by the endoscope
what does PEG stand for
percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
what is a PEG
feeding tube is placed by an endoscope into the abdominal wall
used for people who can no longer eat or swallow
supports nutrition without having to eat
what is buried bumper syndrome and how do you prevent it
ring around it has been over grown so no longer able to put anything through the feeding tube
shouldn’t happen as you should rotate a PEG hoop everyday
what can be used if a person cannot tolerate a PEG tube
PEG-J tube can be used if person cannot tolerate a normal PEG tube
it is placed distal to the stomach so there is no vomiting or reflux
what are polyps removed by
snares - wire loop through which a hot electrical current is placed through it to seal off the area and any blood vessels that have been cut through
what are the complications of polypectomy
bleeding (can be fatal)
perforation of the bowel wall (if caught in snare)
can require surgery
