Diarrhea/Gastroenteritis Flashcards
> 90% of water is absorbed where in the GI Tract?
Small intestine
Which portion of the small intestine is the major site for water resorption?
Jejunum
Which organ transforms liquid fecal stream into well-formed solid stool?
Large intestine (colon)
Acute diarrhea is also known as?
Acute gastroenteritis
What defines acute gastroenteritis?
3 or more episodes per day or at least 200g of stool per day w/ rapid onset of less than 2 weeks
Community outbreaks are commonly caused by what kind of acute gastroenteritis?
Viral gastroenteritis
What acute gastroenteritis is caused by a bacterial infection?
Acute bacterial gastroenteritis
How are infectious sources of gastroenteritis transmitted and what is the incubation period?
Fecal-oral contact, food and water
Incubation period between 12-72 hours
Food poisoning is caused by what?
Pre-made toxin in ingested
What is the onset and incubation of pre-formed toxins in food poisoning?
VERY acute onset with shorter incubation periods
When the organism is present in food and produces toxins due to longer incubation period (8-16hours), what sx are present?
Vomiting is less prominent, abdominal cramping is frequent and fever is absent
Do all infectious agents cause acute diarrhea?
No, but almost all acute diarrhea is caused by infectious agents
What is the chronicity for chronic diarrhea?
2 weeks
What are osmotic causes of chronic diarrhea?
Medications
Zollinger-Ellison
What happens to a patient’s bowel sounds with diarrhea?
Increased bowel sounds
