Common Manifestations of GI Disorders Flashcards
What are the common manifestations of GI disorders?
- Dysphagia
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Vomiting
What are the 3 main mechanisms of dysphagia?
- Delivery into esophagus due to neuromuscular incoordination
- Transport down the esophagus due to peristaltic activity
- Entry into stomach due to LES dysfunction or obstructions
How does neuromuscular incoordination lead to dysphagia?
- Difficult to initiate steps of swallowing
- Worse symptoms when swallowing liquids
- Aspiration while attempting to swallow a major risk
How does altered peristaltic activity lead to dysphagia?
- Food is unable to be transported down due to structural or neuromuscular disorders
- Affects solid food more
What are some conditions that could lead to altered peristaltic activity?
- Diverticula (outpouching due to high pressure or weak layers of esophagus)
- Achalasia (damaged esophageal nerves causing food to collect at esophagus)
- Strictures/fibrosis
- Tumors (compressing esophagus)
How does LES obstruction or obstructing lesions lead to dysphagia?
- Swallowing results in pain or tightness in the substernal area
What are the types of abdominal pain?
- Visceral (gnawing and diffuse pain)
- Somatic (sharp, intense pain that is well-localised)
- Referred (pain felt at an area distant from the source)
What are the common sites of referred abdominal pain?
IMAGE
What are the 9 abdominal regions?
- R/L Hypochondriac
- Epigastric
- R/L Lumbar
- Umbilical
- R/L Iliac
- Hypogastric
What are the organs found in the hypochondriac and epigastric region?
1) R Hypochondriac
- Liver, gallbladder
- R kidney
- Small intestine
2) Epigastric
- Stomach
- Liver
- Pancreas, Duodenum, Spleen
3) L Hypochondriac
- Spleen, colon
- L kidney
- Pancreas
What are the organs found in the lumbar and umbilical region?
1) Right lumbar
- Liver, gallbladder
- R colon
2) Umbilical region
- Umbilicus
- Small intestine, duodenum
3) L Hypochondriac
- Descending colon
- Left kidney
What are the organs found in the iliac and hypogastric region?
1) R Iliac
- Appendix
2) Hypogastric
- Bladder
- Sigmoid colon
3) L iliac
- Descending & sigmoid colon
What is constipation and what contributes to it?
- <3 stools/week
- Low fiber diet (no cellulose)
- Low exercise (less peristalsis)
- Conditions affecting GIT motility
What is diarrhea and what contributes to it?
- > 3 times in 24 hours
- Acute: <2 weeks
- Persistent: 2 weeks - 30 days
- Chronic: >30 days
- Impairment of absorption of water and nutrients
- Can be due to infections (bacterial/viral) or medicinal side effects, food intolerance or conditions
What are the 3 major types of diarrhea?
1) Inflammatory
- Damage to intestinal mucosa due to inflammation
2) Watery
- Osmotic (eg lactose intolerance, where undigested lactose remains osmotically active and attracts water molecules into the lumen and decreases water absorption)
- Secretory (toxins cause water secretion into intestinal lumen)
3) Fatty
- Impaired digestion and absorption of fats
