Diarrhoea and IBS Flashcards
Diarrhoea
a condition of excessively frequent and loose bowel movements
(>300g/24 hours)
Malabsorption
imperfect absorption of food material by the small intestine
What activates pancreatic proteolytic enzymes?
Trypsinogen
Stomach secretions
HCl, intrinsic factor, pepsinogen, gastrin
Gallbladder secretions
Bile (almost a litre)
Pancreatic secretions
HCO3, amylase, lipase, trypsinogen, CCK (Cholecystokinin)
Small intestine secretions
disaccharidases, peptidases
somatostatin
Anus secretions
Stool ~200g
Where do we start to absorb vitamins and nutrients?
Duodenum
What is absorbed in the duodenum?
Water soluble vitamins (active absorption)
Fat soluble (passive absorption)
Ca, Fe, An (increase by ascorbic acid, decrease with phytates)
Polysaccharides, proteins and fats
What is absorbed in jejunum?
Magnesium
What is absorbed in the ileum?
2ndary Bile acids, vit B12
What is absorbed in the large colon?
Na, Cl, water, SCFAs
What are the causes of diarrhoea?
Osmotic (non-absorbable solute)
Secretory (impaired electrolyte transport)
Exudative (intestinal mucosal damage)
Motility (increased transit)
Where are most sugars, proteins and fats absorbed?
Most polysaccharides, proteins and fats are digested and absorbed within the upper 200cm of the small intestine. Site of absorption depends on meal composition. Meat and salad absorbed high in the jejunum, while milk and doughuts are absorbed more distally, after a large amount of water has been secreted.
What are osmotic causes of diarrhoea?
Deficiency in digestive enzymes
Lactulose
Magnesium salts
Sorbitol
What are secretory causes of diarrhoea?
Bacterial endotoxins
Bile salts
Laxatives
Hormone producing tumours
What are exudative causes of diarrhoea?
Infections IBD Coeliac diseaase Irradiation Ischaemia Colon cancer
What are motility causes of diarrhoea?
Irritable bowel syndrome
Thyrotoxicosis
Autonomic neuropathy (DM)
Drugs
What do you want to find out from a patient’s history when diagnosing diarrhoea?
HISTORY OF PRESENTING COMPLAINT
Time course and severity Impact of fasting on symptoms Volume and consistency of stools Floating stools Bloody stools Nocturnal symptoms
Constitutional symptoms
- Anorexia/weight loss
- Fever
- vomiting
What could we find from past medical history, social and family history that could help in diagnosing diarrhoea?
PMH:
childhood diseases
IBD
previous GI surgery
SH/FH: foreign travel contacts w similar symptoms dietary factors (milk intolerance?) ethnicity
Causes of diarrhoea: clues on examination
General - ?ill, shock, dehydration, pyrexia, anaemia, weight loss
hands, eyes, mouth, skin, joints, lymph nodes, oedema
CVS/RS - pulse, BP, etc.
Abdomen - distension, scars
tenderness, rebound, guarding
inflammatory masses, bowel sounds
PR/Epsilon - anus, anal canal, rectal mucosa, ?blood/pus, stool
rectal biopsy
Investigations of diarrhoea
Blood tests: FBC, ESR U&E, LFT, CRP Vit B12 and folate Iron studies TFT Coeliac serology
Stool tests:
M,C and S
Elastase
Calprotectin
Functional tests:
Hydrogen breath tests
Schilling test
Imaging:
Barium studies/USS
CT/MRI
Endoscopy:
OGD with D2 biopsies
Colonoscopy
Capsule endoscopy/SBE
Gut hormone profile
Urinary catecholamines
Irritable bowel syndrome
IBS is defined as a “Functional” GI disorder, i.e. a disorder of gut–brain interaction.
These disorders are classified by GI symptoms related to any combination of the following:
motility disturbance
visceral hypersensitivity
altered mucosal and immune function
altered gut microbiota
altered central nervous system processing.
About 20% of adolescent/adult Westerners have symptoms consistent with IBS
Rome IV Criteria for IBS diagnosis
Recurrent abdominal pain, on average, at least 1 day/week in the last 3 months, associated with two or more of the following criteria:
- Related to defecation
- Associated with a change in frequency of stool
- Associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool.
Criteria fulfilled for the last 3 months with symptom onset at least 6 months before diagnosis.
IBS management
- investigations + reassurance
- diet
- lifestyle advice
- medication for symptom relief:
- anti-spasmodics
- -mebeverine
- -peppermint oil - drugs to alter intestinal transit
- opiates/loperamide
- Laxatives - probiotics
- anti-depressants
Coeliac disease
‘an inflammatory condition of the small intestinal mucosa, that is most marked proximally, and which improves morphologically when gluten is removed from the diet’
Inherited auto-immune condition
CD strongly associated with HLA-DQ2 genotype (95%)
likelihood of 1st degree relative having CD 10-15%
Gluten
Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat (wheatberries, durum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, KAMUT® khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together.
Coeliac disease autoantibodies
- anti-gliadin
- anti-reticulin
- anti-endomysial
Coeliac disease UK prevalence
Prevalence probably M=F. but incidence higher (x2) in F (present during pregnancy and childbirth/feeding and because of fertility or menstrual problems).
GP study in Oxfordshire, screening of patients with anaemia (30 new CD patients identified (previously 8 on books)
Previously thought of as childhood disease, but now incidence increasing in adults and decreasing in children (better weaning and many commersial baby foods and milk gluten-free)
Adults usually diagnosed between 30 and 40, but increasingly now between 50 and 60.
Increased incidence almost certainly due to diagnostic phenomena
~150 patients at any one time in an average DGH
Histology for symptomatic, asymptomatic and latent coeliac disease
Symptomatic CD (positive histology)
Asymptomatic CD (positive histology)
Latent CD (negative histology)
Coeliac disease presentation: childhood vs adult
Childhood: Failure to thrive/short stature Diarrhoea/steatorrhoea Vomiting (50%) Abdominal pain/distension
Adult: Adults Fatigue (80-90%) Anaemia (85%) Microcytic Macrocytic Diarrhoea/steatorrhoea (75-80%) Weight loss Mouth ulcers infertility
Coeliac disease diagnostic criteria for adults
4 intestinal biopsies
abnormal mucosa on gluten*
b) improvement on GFD ( 3 - 6 months) #
* Histological abnormality may be minimal (eg increased IEL only). # Mucosal healing may take 2 years - or remain incomplete.
What happens to villi in CD?
In untreated coeliac disease, villi become inflamed and flattened. In some cases, they can even disappear. This is called villous atrophy. When the gut is damaged in this way, it means the body can’t absorb all the nutrients from food properly.
Diseases associated w CD in adults
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Itchy blistering skin eruption which affects knees, elbows, buttocks and back
Complicates 2-5% of CD prevalence 1:20,000 in UK onset age 15-40 years M>F improved by GFD diagnosis confirmed by granular IgA at dermo-epidermal junction of un-involved skin
Coeliac disease treatment
Gluten exclusion
-no food containing wheat, rye barley or ?oats
dietary supplements
-iron, folic acid, Ca, vitamin B12
bone abnormalities
hyposplenism
information and support
Why CD patients need a gluten free diet?
- Amelioration of symptoms
- reduction in risk of osteoporosis
- reduction in risk of associated malignancies
- reduction in risk of associated autoimmune diseases
Coeliac disease follow up
6 monthly OPA
- (repeat small intestinal biopsy after 1st 6 months)
- blood tests
- symptomatic assessment
- nutritional assessment
- dietary compliance
close monitoring during pregnancy