DSA - Disorders of the Small Bowel and Colon (Completed) Flashcards
(136 cards)
Paradoxical “diarrhea” described as liquid stool leaking around impacted feces
Overflow incontinence
You observe benign hyperpigmentation of the colon
Melanesis coli Due to chronic use of laxatives
The prescence of the following is inconsistent with medication, IBS, and lactose intolerance mechanisms of chronic diarrhea
- Nocturnal diarrhea
- weight loss
- anemia
- FOBT (fecal occult blood test)
What laboratory tests indicate inflammatory bowel disease?
- erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- C-reactive protein
What measurement determined from a fecal specimen indicates pancreatic insufficiency?
Fecal elastase less than 100 mcg/g
How might you localize a neuroendocrine tumor to visualize it’s location on imaging?
By using somatostatin receptor scintigraphy
What are four neuroendocrine tumors that all have a complication of secretory diarrhea?
- >1 L/day of high-volume watery diarrhea
- normal osmotic gap
- Diarrhea persists during fasting
- VIPoma (VIP) vasoactive intestinal peptide
- Medullary Thyroid carcinoma (calcitonin)
- Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (gastrin)
- (5-HIAA) urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid
How can small bowel bacterial overgrowth diagnosis be confirmed?
- Breath test (glucose or lactulose)
What is a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of carbohydrate malabsorption?
Hydrogen breath test
ex. Lactase deficiency —> hydrogen breath test
also can perform an elimination trial for 2-3 weeks but this takes longer
Numerous medications can cause diarrhea. What are the common offenders?
- Cholinesterase inhibiitors (-)
- SSRIs
- Angiotensin II-receptor blockers
- PPIs
- NSAIDs
- Metformin
- Allopurinol
- Orlistat (weight loss medication)
Microscopic colitis is a condition of chronic inflammation idiopathic in origin in which 15% of patients have chronic or intermittent watery diarrhea. Most commonly occurs in women between the fifth and sixth decade. What are the two types?
- Lymphocytic colitis
- collagenous colitis
What do we see histologically in microscopic colitis?
- Lymphocytes and plasma cells within the LP
- increased intraepithelial lymphocytes
normal-appearing mucosa on endoscopy
Collagenous colitis is a type of microscopic colitis. Differentiate collagenous colitis from lymphocytic colitis
Collagenous colitis:
- thickened bands of subepithleial collagen (> 10 μm)
Several medications have been implicated as the etiologic agent of microscopic colitis. What are they?
- NSAIDs
- PPIs
- ASA
- SSRI
- ACE (-)
- beta-blockers
removal of these medications resolves diarrhea within 30 days
What is osmotic gap in reference to osmotic diarrhea?
The difference between the measured osmolaltiy of the stool or serum and the estimated stool osmolaltiy
normal: less than 50 mOsm/kg
With reference to osmotic diarrhea what does an increased osmotic gap greater than 75 mOsm/kg indicate?
That the cause of the diarrhea is due to ingestion or malabsorption of an osmotically active substance
What are the most common causes of osmotic diarrhea?
- Carbohydrate malabsorption (lactose, fructose, sucrose)
- Laxative abuse (can be osmotic or secretory)
- malabsorption syndromes
What is one important and easy way you can differentiate whether a patient is havin secretory or osmotic diarrhea?
Osmotic diarrheas resolve during fasting
secretory diarrheas see little change in stool output during fasting
- volume of stool doesn’t reduce during fasting
Patients with carbohydrate malabsorption are often characterized by having chronic postprandial diarrhea. What is postprandial diarrhea?
Diarrhea occurring during or after meals (lunch/dinner)
Secretory diarrhea is a result of either increased intestinal secretion or decreased intestinal absorption. What are the defining characteristics of secretory diarrhea?
- A high-volume watery diarrhea > 1 L/day
- normal osmotic gap
- fasting = little change in stool output
Ingestion of phosphate containing compounds such as laxatives, antacids, or ingestion of magnesium and the use of fat substitute Olestra has been correlated with what?
Incidences of osmotic diarrhea
What are important causes of secretory diarrhea?
- Endocrine tumors that stimulate pancreas/intestines
- Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
- Carcinoid syndrome
- VIPoma
- Medullary thyroid carcinoma
- Bile salt malabsorption (stimulates colonic secretion)
Malabsorptive conditions are conditions in which there is disruption in digestion and nutrient absorption. What are the major malabsorptive conditions?
- Bile salt malabsorption
- Celiac Disease
- Whipple (Tropheryma whippelii, gram +)
- Lactase deficiency
Patient presents with weight loss, osmotic diarrhea, steatorrhea, and nutritional deficiency
Patient has a malabsoprtive condition
- Bilar salt malabsorption
- celiac disease
- whipple
- lactase deficiency