Diarrhoea Flashcards
What is diarrhoea?
increase in the amount of stool passed daily to over 300g of stool per day + usually accompained by increased frequency and loosening of stools
What can patients confuse diarrhoea with?
- melaena
- steatorrhoea
- haematochezia
- Loose stools
What is melaena?
dark, tarry stools from digested blood
What is steatorrhoea?
pale, floating stools from undigested lipid
What is haematochezia?
bright red stools from frank blood
What are loose stools?
soft feaces but no increase in frequency or quantity
What can diarrhoea be caused by?
- Infection of bowel
- Inflammation of bowel
- Increased bowel motility
- Malabsorption of nutrients
- Obstruction overflow due to a mass allowing only liquid stool to pass beyond it
- Medications
What conditions cause infection of bowel?
infectious diarrhoea
What conditions cause inflammation of bowel and diarrhoea?
- IBD
2. diverticular disease
What conditions cause increased bowel motility and diarrhoea?
- hyperthyroidsim
- anxiety
- IBS
What conditions cause malabsorption of nutrients and diarrhoea?
- coeliac disease
2. pancreatic insufficiency
What conditions cause obstruction overflow due to a mass allowing only liquid stool to pass beyond it?
constipation from hard stool in elderly, colon cancer and ovarian cancer
What medications cause diarrhoea?
- laxative
- colchine
- digoxin
- metformin
- thiazide diuretics
- some antibiotics
If 3 day diarrhoea what are likely causes in a young female?
- Infective diarrhoea
- IBS
- Coeliac disease
- Crohn’s disease
- US
- Medications (e.g. antibiotics, laxatives)
- Hyperthyroidism
If 3 day diarrhoea what are likely causes in a elderly female?
- Neoplastic disease (villous polyps, colonic adenocarcinoma, pancreatic cancer)
- Diverticular disease
- Overflow diarrhoea secondary to constipation
- ischaemic colitis
- micrscopic colitis
- bacterial overgrowth (e.g. in patients with DM)
What age is IBD common at?
5-25 and 50-80 years
If someone comes in with acute diarrhoea what do you need to asses initially?
- ABC
- Dehydration status
- Electrolyte or pH disturbances
How can you tell if someone has dehydration (hypovolemia)?
- tachycardia?
- postural drop narrow MAP, low BP
- mucous membranes coated tounge, dry lips
- patient feel thirsty?
Why might you have electrolyte or pH disturbances in acute diarrhoea?
- due to excess loss (K+, HCO3-) in feaces
- or due to secondary to hypovolaemia or ischaemia (e.g. hyperkalaemia in response to metabolic acidosis caused by ischaemia)
How do you check electrolyte and pH disturbances?
- quickest way to get is VBG or ABG
- VBG if patient ok
What are signs of shock with diarrhoea?
diarrhoea, tachycardia and hypotension
How can you tell if tachycardia is from anxiety or pathology?
anxiety causing tachycardia would also cause a rise in BP
What is pH of acidosis?
pH<7.35