Gastric Pathology Flashcards
4 Inflammatory Diseases of the Stomach
- acute gastritis, acute peptic ulceration, chronic gastritis, and peptic ulcer disease (PUD)
What does acute gastritis result from? What are four main causes?
- the disruption of the stomach’s normal protective mechanisms (mucus and bicarbonate); AKA erosive gastritis/gastropathy
- NSAIDs, alcohol, severe stress, portal HTN
Why are elderly patients and patients using NSAIDs at risk of developing acute gastritis?
- elderly patients have decreased mucin production
- NSAIDs inhibit prostaglandins, which are used to enhance bicarbonate secretion
- (both of these result in decreased protection from gastric acid)
Acute peptic ulceration is a complication of what two things?
- NSAID therapy
- severe physiologic stress
What are the 3 lesion types of acute peptic ulceration? What is each associated with?
- stress ulcers: affect critically ill patients
- curling ulcers: occur in proximal duodenum; associated with severe burns
- cushing ulcers: occur in stomach, duodenum, or esophagus of patients with intracranial disease (increased vagus stimulation leads to increased HCl secretion)
Are symptoms of chronic gastritis more or less severe than those of acute gastritis?
- less severe (ie: hematemesis is quite uncommon in chronic gastritis)
What are the two main causes of chronic gastritis?
- infection with Helicobacter pylori (most common, 90%) and autoimmune gastritis (10%)
H. pylori usually results in gastritis in which parts of the stomach? Is acid production increased or decreased? Will the patient be hyper- or hypogastrinemic? What about in autoimmune gastritis?
- H. pylori: gastritis in the antrum; increased acid production despite hypogastrinemia(???) (H. pylori inhibit D cells and stimulate G cells)
- autoimmune: usually spares the antrum; decreased acid production despite hypergastrinemia
What is chronic gastritis via H. pylori associated with?
- intestinal metaplasia of the gastric tissue, resulting in an increased risk of gastric adenocarcinoma
- also PUD
Which 2 findings on a gastric biopsy would indicate intestinal metaplasia?
- the presence of goblet cells and columnar absorptive cells
What’s the pathogenesis of autoimmune gastritis? What are the resulting effects?
- antibodies against parietal cells and intrinsic factor
- leads to decreased HCl (achlorhydria) and intrinsic factor secretion
- decreased HCl will result in a pronounced increase in gastrin (hypergastrinemia) to try and stimulate acid release
- lack of intrinsic factor will result in vitamin B12 deficiency, leading to pernicious anemia (AKA “pernicious anemia gastritis”)
Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD) is highly associated with which two things? It usually develops on a background of what? Which two areas are most commonly affected?
- associated with H. pylori infection and NSAIDs (NOT due to alcohol, stress, or diet)
- develops on a background of chronic gastritis
- commonly affects the proximal duodenum (90%) and the stomach (10%)
Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome; what two pathologies is it associated with?
- gastrin-producing tumors of the pancreas or G-cells result in massive acid production
- associated with peptic ulcer disease and carcinoid tumors
What is the most common gastric malignancy?
- gastric adenocarcinoma (more than 90% of gastric cancers)
- it is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death world-wide
Symptoms of Gastric Adenocarcinoma
- progression from dyspepsia (indigestion), dysphagia, and nausea to weight loss, anorexia, anemia, and altered bowel habits
- often presents with acanthosis nigricans (brown-black velvety hyperpigmentation of the skin)