Diarrhea (DN) Flashcards
Normal stool contents?
- 100ml of water
- 40mEq/l Na+
- 90 mEq/l Cl-
What is diarhhea?
- from 3x week to 3x per day and can be increased secretion >200mls per day
- stool volume >200-250g/day
Types of diarrhea?
- osmotic
- secretory
- inflammatory vs non-inflammatory
- acute vs chronic
Describe features of acute diarrhea?
- over 2 - 3 weeks
- commonly infectious
Describe features of chronic diarrhea?
- > 4 weeks
- can bedue to a chronic medical condition
Causes of diarrhea?
- 80% are infectious
– helminths, bacteria, viruses, protozoa - ingestions of medicines
- poor absorption of sugars
- fecal impaction
Note: Diarrhea results from imbalance of intestines to handle water and electrolytes
The 2 types of disease of enteric bacteria?
- Diarrhea with or without systemic invasion
- Other infections including:
- UTI, pneumonia, bacteremia, and sepsis especially in debilitated patients
NB: Some of them are normal flora but can acquire antibiotic resistance to cause Nosocomial Sepsis in hospitals
Enteric bacteria?
- group of bacteria that exist in the intestines of humans and animals
- Enteric bacteria can be either harmless, such as gut flora or microbiota, or pathogenic, which means that they cause disease
Bacterial causes of diarrhea?
- Salmonella
- Campylobacter
- Shigella
- E. coli 0157:H7
- Clostridium difficile
Viral causes of diarrhea?
- Norovirus and other related viruses
- Rotavirus (esp. in children)
- Adenovirus
Protozoal causes of diarrhea?
- Giardia
- E. histolytica
- Cyclospora
- Cryptosporidium
Pathophysiology and features of secretory diarrhea?
Increased secretion of water into the gut lumen and inhibition of intestinal absorption
1. Large stool volume >1litre per day
2. Watery stool
3. Absence of pus, blood, mucus
4. Persistent diarrhea despite 24 – 48 hour fast
Pathophysiology of osmotic diarrhea?
- Increased amounts of poorly absorbable, osmotically active solutes into the bowel lumen
- Typically, diarrhea stops when patient fasts
Causes of osmotic diarrhea?
- carbohydrate malabsorption
- Generalized malabsorption e.g. sprue, after radiation, pancreatic insufficiency
- Ingestion of osmotically active substances
Motility disorders causing diarrhea?
- increased small bowel motility resulting in reduced contact time
- Decreased small bowel motility resulting in small bowel bacterial overgrowth
- Increased colonic motility such as in Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Anal sphincter dysfunction causing incontinence
Causes of increased small bowel motility?
- hyperthyroidism
- carcinoid
- dumping syndrome
> resulting in reduced contact time
Causes of decreased small bowel motility?
- hypothyroidism
- scleroderma
- amyloidosis
> resulting in small bowel bacterial overgrowth
Causes of anal sphincter dysfunction?
- after obstetric surgery
- inflammation and neuromuscular diseases
> causing incontinence
Investigation of bloody acute diarrhea?
- Culture and sensitivity
- Sigmoidoscopy may be required
- May consider CT scan
Causes of bloody acute diarrhea?
CHESS agents
C – Campylobacter
H- Hemorrhagic E. coli 0157:H7
E- Entamoeba histolytica
S- Salmonella
S-Shigella