Gastroenterology Flashcards
UGIB?
Bleeding from upper GI tract
Causes of UGIB?
- peptic ulcers - gastro/duodenal
- MW tear
- oesophageal varices
- stomach cancer
- oesophagitis / GORD
- AV malformation / aorto-enteric fistula
UGIB Px
- haematemesis
- coffee ground vomit
- melaena
- shock
- abdo pain - ulcers
UGIB Ix?
Bloods
Haemoglobin (FBC)
Urea (U&Es)
Coagulation (INR and FBC for platelets)
Liver disease (LFTs)
Crossmatch 2 units of blood
Group and Save
VBG
Oesophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (OGD)
UGIB risk assessment tools?
Glasgow-Blatchford Score
>0 - high risk for GI bleed
- considers bloods, obs, symptoms and comorbidities
Rockall score post endoscopy
- considers age, shock, co-morbidities, endoscopic signs of acute bleeding and endoscopic diagnosis
UGIB MX?
unstable?
1. ABCDE - 2 large bore cannulas, O2, fluids and consider transfusion
2. stop anticoagulants / NSAIDs + reverse anticoagulation, eg vit K, PCC
3. keep nil by mouth and send for urgent endoscopic Dx
If variceal? give terlipression plus ABx
if non variceal? clipping or thermal coagulation or band ligation
Unsuccessful? consider surgery
NB can use Sengstaken-Blakemore tube with variceal bleed until surgery can be performed
NB PPI post endoscopy for PUD
Stable?
1. endoscopy within 24 hrs
peptic ulcer disease?
ulcer in mucosa of stomach / duodenum
PUD causes + their mechanism
disruption of mucosa: NSAIDs + H pylori
Overproduction of acid: stress
- alcohol, caffeine, smoking, spicy foods
- Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
Bleeding risk increased with
- NSAIDs, aspirin, anticoags, steroids, SSRIs
PUD Px?
- epigastric discomfort / pain - gastric worsens pain, duodenal pain improves on eating, then worsens in 2-3hrs
- wt loss
- N+V
- dyspepsia - beware ALARMS - anaemia, loss of weight, anorexia, recent onset sx, melaena, haematemesis, dysphagia
- UGIB - haematemesis, coffee ground vomit, melaena, low Hb
PUD pain: gastric vs duodenal ulcer
gastric worsens pain
duodenal pain improves on eating, then worsens in 2-3hrs
PUD Ix?
- FBC
- OGD
H pylori Ix
- urea breath test
- stool antigen test
- rapid urease test - CLO test
- serological IgG test
- biopsy
PUD and H pylori Mx
- Stop NSAIDs / causes
- PPIs - lansoprazole / omeprazole
- H2 receptor antagonist - ranitidine / cimetidine
- rpt OGD in 4-8wks to check healing
H pylori Mx
- PPI - lansoprazole
- 2 abx - amoxicillin + clari / met (clari + met if pen allergic)
Complications of PUD?
- bleeding
- perforation
- acute pancreatitis
- scarring, strictures -> gastric outlet obstruction
GORD?
Flow of acid from stomach through LOS into oesophagus
GORD causes?
- Greasy and spicy foods
- Coffee and tea
- Alcohol
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Stress
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Hiatus hernia
GORD Px?
- dyspepsia
- retrosternal / epigastric pain
- bloating
- nocturnal cough
- hoarse voice
- eased with burping
- food / acid brash
- water brash
GORD red flags - need 2ww for OGD
- Dysphagia (at any age)
- > 55
- Weight loss
- Upper abdo pain
- Reflux
- Tx-resistant
- N+V
- Upper abdo mass
- Low Hb
- Raised platelets
ALARMS
- anaemia
- loss of weight
- anorexia
- recent onset sx
- masses / melaena / haematemesis
- swallowing difficulty
GORD Ix?
- OGD
- barium swallow
- H pylori Ix
- 24hr oesophageal pH monitoring
GORD Mx
- reduce tea, coffee, alcohol / wt loss / stop smoking / smaller meals
- antacids - Gaviscon, rennie
- PPIs - omeprazole, lansoprazole
- H2 antagonist - ranitidine, famotidine
- laparoscopic fundoplication
Complications of GORD?
Barrett’s oesophagus
- lower oesophageal epithelium changes from stratified squamous to simple columnar - premalignant for adenocarcinoma
- Mx - endoscopic monitoring, PPI, ablation / resection
Peptic stricture
- narrowing
- Px - intermittent dysphagia, worsening
- Mx - endoscopic dilatation, long term PPI
MW tear
Iron deficiency
Ulcers
oesophagitis
UC?
Relapsing / remitting inflammatory disorder of colonic mucosa
Pathophysiology of UC?
inappropriate immune response against colonic flora
C – Continuous inflammation
L – Limited to the colon and rectum
O – Only superficial mucosa affected
S – Smoking may be protective (ulcerative colitis is less common in smokers)
E – Excrete blood and mucus
U – Use aminosalicylates
P – Primary sclerosing cholangitis
UC Px?
- Insidious / intermittent sx
- Bloody diarrhoea
- Urgency
- Tenesmus
- Abdo pain
- Fatigue, weight loss
- Blood / mucus in stools
what conditions are associated with inflammatory bowel disease?
- Erythema nodosum (tender, red nodules on the shins caused by inflammation of the subcutaneous fat)
- Pyoderma gangrenosum (rapidly enlarging, painful skin ulcers)
- Enteropathic arthritis (a type of inflammatory arthritis)
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis (particularly with ulcerative colitis)
- Red eye conditions (e.g., episcleritis, scleritis and anterior uveitis)
UC Ix?
- FBC, CRP, U/E, LFT, TFTs
- Stool MC+S
- faecal calprotectin
- colonoscopy + biopsy
- CT / MRI
UC Mx?
- aim to induce / maintain remission
Inducing Remission
Mild to moderate disease
* 1st line: aminosalicylate (e.g. mesalazine oral or rectal)
* 2nd line : corticosteroids (e.g. prednisolone)
Severe disease
* 1st line : IV corticosteroids (e.g. hydrocortisone)
* 2nd line : IV ciclosporin
Maintaining Remission
Aminosalicylate (e.g. mesalazine oral or rectal)
Azathioprine
Mercaptopurine
- Surgery - colectomy, tx strictures/fistulas/abscess
UC Cx
- colonic cancer
- toxic dilatation of colon
- perforation
Crohn’s
Chronic inflammatory disease characterised by transmural granulomatous inflammation
Crohn’s pathophysiology?
- any part of gut affected
- most commonly terminal ileum - site of B12 absorption
- strictures / fistulas
- transmural inflammation, goblet cells, granulomas, skip lesions, cobblestone appearance
RFs
smoking, NSAIDs, FHx
Crohns presentation?
- Abdo pain
- Diarrhoea
- Weight loss
- Fatigue, fever, malaise, anorexia
- Inflammatory associations as above
- Clubbing
- Mouth ulcers
- Blood / mucus less common
Crohn’s Ix?
- Bloods - FBC, CRP, U/E, LFT, TFT, B12/folate
- stool MC+S
- faecal calprotectin
- colonoscopy + biopsy
- CT / MRI
Crohn’s Mx/
Induce remission
- oral prednisolone / IV hydrocortisone
- mesalazine
- azathioprine / mercaptopurine / methotrexate / infliximab / adalimumab
Maintain remission
- azathioprine / mercaptopurine
- methotrexate
Surgery
- resect distal ileum, tx strictures / fistulas / abscesses
coeliac disease
- autoimmune inflammatory condition triggered by eating gluten
coeliac pathophysiology?
- anti-TTG / anti-EMA ABs created in response to gluten - target epithelial cells in SI
- jejunum particularly affected
- crypt hypertrophy + villous atrophy -> malabsorption
Associations
- autoimmune thyroid disease
- T1DM
- dermatitis herpetiformis
Coeliac Px?
- asym
- failure to thrive (children)
- diarrhoea
- bloating
- fatigue
- wt loss
- mouth ulcers
- dermatitis herpetiformis - itchy, blistering skin rash - on abdo
- anaemia
- neuro sx - peripheral neuropathy, ataxia, epilepsy
Coeliac Ix?
- Bloods - FBC, ferritin, haematinics, LFTs, anti-TTG, total IgA (to check for IgA deficiency)
- endoscopy, biopsy (traditionally duodenum, but also jejunum)
NB can do anti-EMA as second line blood if in doubt
Coeliac Mx?
lifelong gluten free diet
IBS
Mixed group of abdo sx with no organic cause (functional)
- IBS-C/D/M - constipation/diarrhoea/mixed
- disorder in brain-gut axis - abnormal smooth muscle activity
- various causes
IBS Px
- Abdo pain
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Change in bowel habit
- Bloating
- Worse after eating
- Improved by opening bowels
- Passing mucus
- Sx >6mo for d
IBS - red flags to exclude!
- Rectal bleeding / blood in stool
- Weight loss
- FHx bowel / ovarian cancer
- > 60yo
- Nocturnal sx
- Anaemi
IBS Ix
- Bloods - FBC, CRP/ESR, anti-TTG, CA125 (ovarian ca)
- faecal calprotectin
IBS Mx
- fluids, fibre, limit caffeine/fatty foods, FODMAP, exercise
- diarrhoea - loperamide
- constipation - ispaghula husk / linaclotide
- anti-spasmodics - mebeverine, buscopan, peppermint oil
- low dose amitriptyline, SSRIs, CBT/hypnotherapy
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD)
- liver disease from alcohol consumption
fatty liver -> alcoholic hepatitis -> alcoholic steatosis -> cirrhosis
ALD Patho
Fatty liver
- cells swollen with fat from alcohol metabolism, reversible
Alcoholic hepatitis
- inflammation, fatty change, leukocyte infiltration, necrosis, mallory bodies
Liver cirrhosis
- fibrosis, irreversibl
ALD Px?
Fatty liver
- asym
- N+V, diarrhoea
- hepatomegaly
Hepatitis
- jaundice, ascites, abdo pain, fever, hepatomegaly
- sx of chronic disease
Cirrhosis
- chronic disease - ascites, bruising, Dupuytren’s etc
ALD Ix?
- Bloods - FBC, LFT (raised ALT/AST, raised GGT, later raised ALP, raised bilirubin in cirrhosis, low albumin), coag, U/E
- liver USS - fatty changes / cirrhosis
- transient elastography (Fibroscan)
- CT / MRI
- liver biopsy
ALD Mx?
- stop drinking
- CBT / motivational interviewing
- tx cx - eg thiamine, detox
- prednisolone
- liver transplant
Non alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD?)
- excessive fat in liver
Patho
- steatosis - fat liver
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) - fat with inflammation
- fibrosis/cirrhosis later on
RFs
- older, obesity, poor diet, sedentary, T2DM, high cholesterol, HTN, smoking
NAFLD Px?
- asymptomatic
- hepatomegaly
NAFLD Ix
- bloods - LFTs, enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test
- USS - increased echogenicity
- NAFLD fibrosis score
- FIB-4 score
- Fibroscan
- liver biopsy
NAFLD Mx?
- diet, weight, stop smoking
- specialist mx - vit E, pioglitazone, bariatric surgery, liver transplant
acute liver failure?
- acute deterioration in liver function
Patho
- hepatic encephalopathy
- coagulopathy
- ascites
- jaundice
Causes
- paracetamol OD
- alcohol
- viral hepatitis
- acute fatty liver of pregnancy
- HCC, Wilson’s, A1AT deficiency
acute liver failure Px
- jaundice
- coagulopathy - bleeding, bruising
- hypoalbuminaemia - ascites
- hepatic encephalopathy - confusion, coma, asterixis, drowsiness, slurred speech, behaviour change, apraxia
- renal failure
- fever, vomiting
- fetor hepaticus
- maybe sx of chronic disease
acute liver failure Ix
- Bloods - inc LFTs, PTT, albumin, coag, FBC, U/E, culture, viral serology
- USS, CT/MRI, CT head
- avoid liver biopsy if coagulation derranged
- EEG - encephalopathy
acute liver failure Mx
- tx cause
- liver transplan
liver cirrhosis
- fibrosis of liver from chronic inflammation
- collagen deposition + scarring
causes of liver cirrhosis?
- Alcohol liver disease
- NAFLD
- Hep B/C
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Haemochromatosis, Wilson’s, A1AT deficiency
- CF
- Drugs - amiodarone, methotrexate, sodium valproate
liver cirrhosis Px?
- leukonychia
- finger clubbing
- palmar erythema
- Dupuytren’s contracture
- spider naevi >5
- xanthelasma
- loss of body hair
- jaundice
- HSM
- bruising
- ankle swelling, oedema, ascites
- caput medusae
- cachexia
- gynaecomastia, testicular atrophy
Liver cirrhosis Ix?
- bloods - LFTs, coag, FBC, U/E, AFP (HCC)
- NILS
- US liver
- enhanced liver fibrosis test
- fibroscan
- CT / MRI
- liver biopsy
- Model for End-Stage liver disease (MELD) score
- Child Pugh score
liver cirrhosis Mx?
- tx cause
- monitor cx - 6mo US/AFP, 3yrly OGD
- ascites - fluid restrict, spironolactone, furosemide, paracentesis
- liver transplant
liver cirrhosis Cx?
- malnutrition
- varices
- portal HTN
- ascites
- SBP
- hepatorenal syndrome
- hepatic encephalopathy
portal HTN?
- high pressure in hepatic portal vein from liver cirrhosis, increased resistance
- leads to ascites, splenomegaly, varices, caput medusae, collateral vessel formation
portal HTN causes?
Pre-hepatic
- portal vein thrombosis
intra-hepatic
- cirrhosis
- schistosomiasis
- sarcoidosis
Post-hepatic
- RHF
- constrictive pericarditis
- IVC obstruction
- Budd-Chiari syndrome
Portal HTN Px?
- Splenomegaly
- Caput medusae
- Ascites
- Sx of liver disease / other cx
- Sx of varices
Portal HTN Ix?
- for liver disease - bloods, biopsy, CT/MRI etc
- Abdo US / doppler US
- hepatic venous pressure gradient
- vascular imaging
portal HTN Mx?
- tx cause, liver transplant
- BBs / nitrates
- TIPS
- salt restriction, diuretics
ascites?
free fluid in peritoneal cavity
causes of ascites?
Inflammation
- peritonitis
- infection, TB
- abdo cancer, ovarian
- intra-abdo surgery
Low protein
- hypoalbuminaemia
- nephrotic syndrome
- malnutrition
Low flow
- cirrhosis, portal HTN
- Budd Chiari syndrome
- Cardiac failure
- constrictive pericarditis
How to classify ascites?
Serum ascitic albumin gradient (SAAG) = serum albumin - ascitic fluid albumin
High SAAG >1.1g/dL - transudate
- Cirrhosis, portal HTN
- Acute liver failure
- Budd Chiari syndrome
- Portal vein thrombosis
- Cardiac failure
- Constrictive pericarditis
Low SAAG <1.1g/dL - exudate
- Malignancy
- Infection
- Pancreatitis
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Peritoneal TB
ascites Px?
- Abdo swelling
- Distention
- Shifting dullness
- Peripheral oedema
- Weight gain
- Abdo pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Sx of liver disease
ascites Ix?
- abdo exam, shifting dullness
- Bloods
- USS / CT / MRI
- Ascitic tap - SAAG, raised WCC, culture, cytology, amylase
ascites mx?
- tx cause
- low Na diet, fluid restriction
- oral spironolactone
- add furosemide
- paracentesis - ascitic tap / drain
- human albumin solution
- prophylactic abx - eg oral cipro
- TIPS
- liver transplant