Common abdominal histories - Change in bowel habit Flashcards
What would you want to ask about change in bowel habits?
- Duration
- Progression
- Stool - how much, consistency, colour, blood
What would you want to ask about in systems review of someone with change in bowel habit?
- WEight - loss, appetitie
- Dysphagia
- Dyspepsia
- N+V
- Abdo pain
- Tenesmus
- Blood/mucus in the stool
What features of change in bowel habit would suggest colon cancer as a cause?
- Elderly
- Blood in stool/malaena
- WEight loss
- Anaemia symptoms
What features of change in bowel habit would suggest gastroenteritis as a cause?
- N+V
- Acute diarrhoea
What features of change in bowel habit would suggest IBD as a cause?
- Blood/mucus in stool
- Abdo pain
- WEight loss
What features of change in bowel habit would suggest IBS as a cause?
- Fluctuate between diarrhoea/constipation
- Anxious personality
- Crampy abdo pain and bloating
What features of change in bowel habit would suggest coeliac disease?
- Steatorrhoea
- WEight loss
- Anaemia symptoms
What features of altered bowel habit suggest thyrotoxicosis?
- Diarrhoea
- Heat intolerance
- Irritability
- Tremor
- Oligomenorrhoea/amenorrhoea
- WEight loss
What features of change in bowel habit would suggest hypothyroidism?
- Constipation
- Menorrhagia
- Cold intolerance
- Lethargy
- Depression
- Brittle hair
- WEight gain
What are GI causes of altered bowel habit?
- Colon cancer
- Gastroenteritis
- IBD
- IBS
- Coeliac
- Bowel obstruction
- Diet and lifestyle
- Diverticulitis
- Overflow incontinence
- Perianal conditions
- Lactose intolerance
- Chronic infection
What are endocrinological causes of altered bowel habit?
- Thyrotoxicosis - speeds up
- Hypothyoridism - slows down
What features of change in bowel habit would suggest bowel obstruction?
- Obstipation/constipation
- Vomiting
- Distention
What are the most common drugs to cause change in bowel habit?
- Opiates
- Iron
- Antacids
- Antibiotics
