gastro Flashcards
what test can be used to check for enhanced liver fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?
NICE recommends the use of the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) blood test to check for advanced fibrosis
the ELF blood test is a combination of hyaluronic acid + procollagen III + tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase
what tests can be used instead of ELF blood test to monitor NAFLD?
- Non-invasive tests may be used to assess the severity of fibrosis
- These include the FIB4 score or NALFD fibrosis score
- These scores may be used in combination with a FibroScan (liver stiffness measurement assessed with transient elastography)
- This combination has been shown to have excellent accuracy in predicting fibrosis
what are the features of severe pancreatitis?
age > 55 years
hypocalcaemia
hyperglycaemia
hypoxia
neutrophilia
elevated LDH and AST
what is the most common cause of biliary disease in patients with HIV?
sclerosing cholangitis secondary to CMV, cryptosprodium and microsporidia
what is the most common cause of pancreatitis in the context of HIV infections?
secondary to anti-retroviral treatment (especially didanosine) or by opportunistic infections e.g. CMV
what are the drugs that induce a cholestasis?
- combined oral contraceptive pill
- antibiotics: flucloxacillin, co-amoxiclav, erythromycin*
- anabolic steroids, testosterones
- phenothiazines: chlorpromazine, prochlorperazine
- sulphonylureas
- fibrates
- rare reported causes: nifedipine
MNEMONIC: PASS FOR
phenothiazines
antibiotics
anabolic steroids
sulphonylureas
FOR-
FIBRATES
OCPS
RARE- NIFEDIPINES.
what is the paracentesis results required to diagnose SBP?
paracentesis: neutrophil count > 250 cells/ul
what is the management of choice in SBP?
intravenous cefotaxime is usually given
who should be considered for antibiotic prophylaxis for SBP?
- patients who have had an episode of SBP
- patients with fluid protein <15 g/l and either Child-Pugh score of at least 9 or hepatorenal syndrome
- NICE recommend: ‘Offer prophylactic oral ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin for people with cirrhosis and ascites with an ascitic protein of 15 g/litre or less until the ascites has resolved’
how can you prevent refeeding syndrome?
NICE recommend that if a patient hasn’t eaten for > 5 days, aim to re-feed at no more than 50% of requirements for the first 2 days.
what are the watershed areas most affected by ischaemic colitis?
The two most common ‘watershed’ areas in the large bowel are at the splenic flexure and the rectosigmoid junction.
what are the key features of whipple’s disease?
- malabsorption: diarrhoea, weight loss
- large-joint arthralgia
- lymphadenopathy
- skin: hyperpigmentation and photosensitivity
- pleurisy, pericarditis
- neurological symptoms (rare): ophthalmoplegia, dementia, seizures, ataxia, myoclonus
what is the cause of whipple’s disease?
tropheryma whippelli
what is the treatment for whipple’s disease?
Oral co-trimoxazole for a year is thought to have the lowest relapse rate, sometimes preceded by a course of IV penicillin
what are the features of villous adenoma?
- non-specific lower gastrointestinal symptoms
- secretory diarrhoea may occur
- microcytic anaemia
- hypokalaemia