Diarrhoea Flashcards
Why is there little clinical value in ‘standard measures’ of normal and abnormal stools?
It is hard to determine what is normal, many people are different, so instead look at what is normal for the PATIENT.
medical aid designed to classify poop consistency?
Bristol Stool Chart.
This is helpful for the patient.
How can you determine acute vs chronic diarrhoea? How do their causes differ?
Acute= upto 14 days
95% infectious cause
Chronic = over 14 days
many different causes
Therefore it’s important to ask patient for TIME FRAME
Causes of Acute Diarrhoea?
INFECTION
1) Bacteria- salmonella, E.Coli, campylobacter
2) Viruses- norovirus(rest homes), rotovirus
3) Protozoa
Infective causes can have different mechanisms, give examples of this.
Campylobacter > INFLAMMATORY diarrhoea
Glardia > OSMOTIC diarrhoea
mild villous atrophy> carb malabsorption> osmotically active sugars> water drawn in
E.Coli > SECRETORY
toxin stimulates fluid secretion
Causes of Chronic diarrhoea
There are many causes that can be grouped into…
Inflammatory: damaged epithelium lead to exudate, eg) IBD
Osmotic: osmtically active compound draws water in
Secretory: stimulation of excessive fluid secretion
Fatty: Fat malabsorption
These are classifications of BOTH acute and chronic, and there is often overlap
Inflammatory diarrhoea is often due to
- IBD
- Diverticulitis (diverticula > stool filled > infection > inflamm)
- SIBO (direct inflammation of enterocytes)
- Radiation colitis
- Ischaemic colitis (lack of BF to colon)
- colon cancer
Osmotic Diarrhoea is often due to
Carb malabsorption: lactase intolerance, IBS
Coeliac disease
SIBO:: malabsoption of proteins, carbs fats and other osmotically active by-products of bacteria metabolism
Laxative Abuse: (can be OSMOTIC or stimulative)
Types of Lactose intolerance
Primary LI: due to lactase deficiency
Secondary LI: due to enterocytes that produce lactase being damaged
Secretory Diarrhoea can be caused by
- Terminal Ileal Resection
- Cholecystectomy: GB removed, bile flows straight into SI
- Microscopic Colitis
- IBD
- Diverticulitis
- Neuroendocrine Tumors
- SIBO
- Disordered motility (IBS, post-vagotomy)
- Colon cancer
- Laxative abuse- stimulatory type
Neuroendocrine tumors
Rare increase in hormones that can drive water secretion (gastrinoma- excess gastrin, carinoid- excess serotonin)
-secretory diarrhoea
How does TI resections cause Secretory diarrhoea
Where BAs are normally absorbed, post-surgery they enter colon (malabsorb), irritate it = fluid response
Fatty diarrhoea can be caused by
- Pancreatic Exocrine insufficiency (esp. LIPASE)
- Bile acid malabsorption (not enough bile)
- SIBO
- Coeliacs disease
- Short bowel syndrome (too much SI removed, not enough surface)
What is SIBO? Symptoms?
Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth
-Excessive amounts of LI bacteria in the SI
Symptoms (siimilar to IBS): bloating/abdo discomfort, diarrhoea, flatulence, steatorrhea, malabsorption
Predisposers of SIBO
Impaired motility- usually a motor complex prevents SIBO by clearing debris eg) scleroderma, diabetes
Anatomical Disorders- lead to SI stasis. eg) strictures, adhesions, SI diverticula, blind loops
- metabolic/systemic diseases
- immune deficiency