Digestive System Flashcards
What are the parts of the digestive system?
- Mouth
- Pharynx
- Esophagus
- Stomach
- Small Intestine
- Large Intestine
Where does digestion begin?
In the mouth - salivary amylase digests carbohydrates
What is the passage way for food and air?
Pharynx
Food is prevented from entering the larynx due to closing of epiglottis
What is the Esophagus located?
Posterior to the trachea
Where does protein digestion begin?
Stomach
What are the two important cells in the Stomach lining?
- Parietal cells
- Chief cells
What do the Parietal cells secrete?
- Hydrochloric Acid
- Intrinsic factor
Intrinsic factor helps with B12 absorption in the Ilieum
What do the Chief cells secrete?
Pepsin - for protein digestion
What disease is due to weakness/transient relaxation of gastroesophageal sphincter?
S&S:
- burning pain 30-60 mins after eating
- belching
- foul breath
- sour taste
- hoarseness or asthma symptoms
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
What is the sphincter between the stomach and the small intestine?
Pyloric sphincter
What are the three parts of the small intestine?
- Duodenum
- Jejunum
- Ileum
What is the main function of the small intestine?
Absorption of nutrients by villi and microvilli
What is the purpose of villi and microvilli?
To increase surface area
What is Celiac Disease?
The blunting of villi in the small intestine due to inflammation as a reaction to gluten.
Which three accessory organs secrete digestive enzymes into the duodenum?
- Liver
- Gallbladder
- Pancreas
What are the functions of the Liver?
- Makes bile
- Makes and breaks down many vital plasma proteins such as albumin, clotting factors, complement proteins
- Detoxifies waste products such as ammonia
- Stores glycogen (stored glucose)
What does bile do?
It emulsifies lipids into smaller droplets to increase surface area
How does the liver detoxify ammonia?
Converts it into urea which can then be eliminated in the urine by the Kidneys
Where is glycogen stored?
Liver and muscles
What is Hepatitis?
Inflammation of the liver caused by a virus or chemical damage to the liver.
S&S:
- Pain in the upper right quadrant of abdomen
- Jaundice (due to increased bilirubin in blood)
- Diarrhea or constipation
Labs:
- Hyperbilirubinemia
- Elevated AST/ALT (liver enzymes)
What is Cirrhosis?
None to very little functional liver tissue remaining. Liver has turned to scar tissue usually due to years of damage.
What is Cholelithiasis?
Gallstones
Female, Fat, Fertile, Forty-Colicky pain in right upper quad of abdomen, worse when eating fatty foods
What does the Pancreas do?
Makes key digestive enzymes
Makes amylase (carbs), lipase (lipids), trypsin (protein), bicarbonate (neutralize acid from Stomach)
What does the Gallbladder do?
Stores and concentrates bile
What is pancreatitis?
Sphincter of oddi can spasm (alcohol can cause) or get blocked and prevent release of pancreatic enzymes so they back up and autodigest the pancreas itself
S&S:
- Severe midepigastric pain can radiate to left and btwn shoulder blades, comes on suddenly
- Nausea, Vomiting
- Hurts to breathe
- Muscle guarding
- Jaundice
Labs:
- Elevated Amylase and Lipase in blood
What are the sections of the Large Intestine?
- Cecum
- Ascending colon
- Transverse colon
- Descending colon
- Sigmoid colon
- Rectum
What is the primary function of the Large Intestine?
Absorb water
What is Crohn’s Disease?
- Autoimmune condition
- Inflammation of primarily submucosal layer of GI.
- Can occur anywhere within GI (esp Ileum and Colon)
- Cobblestone appearance
- skip lesions
S&S:
- Diarrhea (no blood)
- Pain in abdomen
- May develop malabsorption
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
- Autoimmune condition
- Inflammation of mucosal layer leads to ulcerations in colon only
- 1 continuous lesion
S&S:
- Bloody diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Incontinence
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- No inflammation
- Nothing structurally wrong with GI
- Blood work looks normal
- Big nervous system component
S&S:
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- Emotional
- Food avoidance
- Gas
Diverticulosis/itis
Otis - out pouchings in LI
Itis - if pouch inflamed
- commonly in lower left abdomen
- fever
- Nausea, Vomiting
Complication is it can rupture and lead to peritonitis and septic shock
Appendicitis
Lower right quadrant pain
Colon Cancer
Prevention - routine colonoscopy after 50 will look for precancerous lesions called polyps
If cancer S&S:
- Blood in stool
- Change in bowel habits
- Pencil thin stools
