Diarrhoea Flashcards
What is diarrhoea?
3 or more liquidy stools in 24 hours
How long has acute diarrhea being going on for?
Less than 2 weeks
How long has persistent diarrhoea been going on for?
2-4 weeks
How long has chronic diarrhoea been going on for?
More than 4 weeks
How can diarrhea be classified?
Inflammatory or non-inflammatory
What causes inflammatory diarrhea?
Inflammatory bowel disease
GI infection with pathogenic bacteria
What causes non-inflammatory diarrhea?
Secretory
Osmotic
Do not cause systemic features like fever
How can you differentiate between inflammatory and noninflammatory diarrhea?
Presence of fever
ESR, CRP
What is happening in secretory diarrhoea?
There is secretion of electrolytes into the lumen which causes loss of water too
What causes osmotic diarrhoea?
Nutrients and osmotically active substances aren’t absorbed and they draw water into the lumen
What is the main cause acute diarrhoea?
Infection- bacterial, viral or parasites
What is the main cause of acute diarrhoea?
Viral infection
What are the features of viral GI infection?
Watery diarrhoea
Associated vomiting
Lethargy
Risk of dehydration
What are some bacterial causes of non-inflammatory diarrhoea?
Symptoms tend to within 16 hours of ingestion
Staph aureus
C.Perfringens
Enterotoxigenic E.Coli (Sx tend to occur 15 hours after ingestion)
What can cause bacterial gastroenteritis?
Ingestion of contaminated food
What features would suggest inflammatory diarrhoea?
Blood in the stool
Mucus in the stool
Fever
Abdominal pain