Gastroenterology Flashcards
What are the medical causes of abdominal pain in over 5 years old?
Constipation is very common UTI Coealic IBD IBS Mesenteric Adenitis Abdominal migraine Pyelonephritis Henoch schonlein purpura Tonsilitis DKA Infantile colic
Additional causes in adolescent girls: ovarian, Dysmenorrhoea, PID, ovarian torsion, pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy.
What are the surgical causes of abdominal pain in children?
Appendicitis
Intusussception
Bowel obstruction
Testicular torsion
What are the red flags for serious abdominal pain?
Persistent or bilious vomiting Severe chronic diarrhoea Fever Rectal bleeding Weight loss or faltering growth Dysphagia Nighttime pain Abdominal tenderness
What does raised faecal calprotectin indicate?
IBD
When is recurrent abdominal pain diagnosed?
When a child is experiencing repeated episodes of abdominal pain with no underlying condition.
How does abdominal migraine present?
Central abdominal pain which lasts for more than 1 hour. Examination is normal There maybe associated: N and V Anorexia Pallor Headache Photophobia Aura
What are the management options for treating the acute attack of a migraine?
Low stimulus environment (quiet, dark room)
Paracetamol
Ibruprofen
Sumatriptan
What are the preventative meds used for abdominal migraine?
Pizotifen (serotonin agonist, most important to remember)
Propranolol
Cryptoheptadine (antihistamine )
Flunarazine (CCB)
Why is it important to stop pizotifen slowly?
It is associated with withdrawal symptoms- depression, anxiety, poor sleep, tremor.
What is encopresis?
This is the term for faecal incontinence, which is no considered pathological until 4 years of age. It is a sign of chronic constipation where the rectum becomes stretched and looses sensation.
Large hard stools remain in the rectum and only loose stools are able to bypass the blockage and leak out.
Name some rare causes of encopresis…
Spina bifida Hirschprings disease Cerebral palsy Learning difficulty Psychosocial stress Abuse
What are the lifestyle factors which can lead to the development and continuation of constipation?
Sedentary lifestyle
Lack of fibre in diet
Poor fluid intake/dehydration
Psychosocial problems
What is desensitisation of the rectum?
This is where patients develop a habit of not opening their bowels when they need to and ignoring the sensation of a full rectum. Over time they lose the sensation of needing to open their bowels and open their bowels even less frequently. They start to retain faeces in their rectum which leads to faecal impaction, over time the rectum stretches as it fills with more and more faeces which leads to further desensitisation of the rectum. The longer this goes on, the more difficult it is to treat the constipation and reverse the problem.
What are the secondary causes of constipation?
Cystic fibrosis Hypothyroidism Spinal cord lesions Hirschsprung’s disease Sexual abuse Intestinal obstruction Anal stenosis Cows milk intolerance.
What are the red flags for constipation?
Not passing meconium within 48 hrs of birth (indicates cystic fibrosis or Hirschsprung’s disease)
Neurological signs or symptoms, particularly in the lower limbs as this can indicate cerebral palsy or a spinal cord lesion.
Vomiting (intestinal obstruction or Hirschsprung’s disease)
Ribbon stool (anal stenosis)
Abnormal anus (indicates sexual abuse, anal stenosis, IBD)
Abnormal lower back or buttocks (spina bifida, spinal cord lesion or sacral AGENESIS)
Failure to thrive (coeliac or hypothyroidism)
Acute severe abdominal pain and bloating
What are the complications of constipation?
Pain Reduced sensation Anal fissures Haemorrhoids Overflow and soiling Psychosocial morbidity
What is the management of constipation?
Correct any reversible contributing factors, recommend a high fibre diet and good hydration Start laxative (Movicol is first line) Faecal impaction may require a disimpaction regime with high doses of laxatives at first Encourage and praise visiting the toilet, this could involve scheduling visits, bowel diary and star charts.
Laxatives should be continued long term and slowly weaned off as the child develops a normal, regular bowel habit.
What is Gastro oesophageal reflux?
Where the contents of the stomach reflexes through the lower oesophageal sphincter, oesophagus, throat and mouth. This is quite Normal for babies and most babies will stop having it by 1 year.
It is normal to have reflux after larger feeds in babies, what are the signs of problematic reflux?
Chronic cough Hoarse cry Distress, crying or unsettled after feeding Reluctance to feed Pneumonia Poor weight gain
Children over one year May experience similar symptoms to adults- heartburn, acid regurgitation, retrosternal or epigastric pain, bloating and nocturnal cough.
What are the possible causes of vomiting in babies?
Over feeding GORD Pyloric stenosis Gastritis or gastroenteritis Appendicitis Infections- UTI, tonsilitis, meningitis Intestinal obstruction Bulimia.
What could not keeping any food down or projectile vomiting be a sign off?
Pyloric stenosis or intestinal obstruction
What is bile stained vomit a sign off?
Intestinal obstruction
What is haematemesis or Malaena a sign of?
Peptic ulcer
Oesophagitis
Varices
What does the red flag reduced consciousness, bulging fontanelle and reflux indicate?
Meningitis or raised ICP.
What does reflux and blood in the stools indicate?
Gastroenteritis
Cows milk allergy
What is the management of reflux?
Small frequent meals
Burping regularly to help milk settle
Not over feeding
Keep baby upright after feeding (not lying flat)
More problematic cases…
. Gaviscon mixed with feeds
. Thickened milk or formula
. Omeprazole
Very rare cases: investigation with barium meal and surgical fundoplication
What is the pyloric sphincter?
A ring of smooth muscle that forms the canal between the stomach and the duodenum.
What is the pathophysiology behind projectile vomiting in pyloric stenosis?
When the pyloric sphincter is hypertrophied it is narrowed and prevents food going from the stomach into the duodenum as normal. After feeding there is powerful peristalsis from the stomach to try and get food into the duodenum, this peristalsis becomes so powerful that it ejects the food into the oesophagus, out the mouth and across the room.
What are the features of pyloric stenosis?
A hungry baby that is think pale, failing to thrive
Projectile vomiting
When examined after feeding, the peristalsis can be seen by observing the abdomen
Mass ‘large olive’ in upper abdomen from the hypertrophic pylorus muscle
Blood gas analysis will show a hypochloric (low chloride%) metabolic alkalosis as the baby is vomiting the hydrochloric acid from the stomach.
What is the diagnosis of pyloric stenosis?
Abdominal ultrasound which visualises the thickened pylorus.
What is the treatment of pyloric stenosis?
Laparoscopic pyloromyotomy
Also known as Ramstedts operation
Prognosis is excellent following the operation
What is gastritis?
Inflammation of the stomach lining.
What is enteritis?
Inflammation of the intestines
What is gastroenteritis?
Inflammation all the way from the stomach to the intestines
Presents with N+V, diarrhoea
What are the differentials for loose stool in infants?
Infections (gastroenteritis) IBD Lactose intolerance Coeliac disease Cystic fibrosis Toddlers diarrhoea Irritable bowel syndrome Medications (ABx)
What are the viral causes of gastroenteritis?(60%)
Rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus (less common and more subacute diarrhoea)
E. coli is a normal intestinal bacteria, with only certain strains causing gastroenteritis, how is it spread?
Infected faeces
Unwashed salads
Contaminated water
E. coli 0157 produces the shiga toxin, what does this cause?
Bloody diarrhoea
Abdo cramps
Vomiting
Haemolytic uraemic syndrome
What is haemolytic uraemic syndrome and what increases the risk of getting it when suffering from E. coli?
It is a triad of: AKI, haemolysis and thrombocytopenia
It is at increased risk when the patient is taking ABX
What is a common cause of travellers diarrhoea?
Campylobacter jejuni
What is the gram stain of campylobacter jejunum?
campylobacter jejunum means curved bacteria and it is a gram negative bacteria.
What is campylobacter jejuni spread by?
Raw or improperly cooked poultry
Untreated water
Unpasteurised milk
What are the symptoms of campylobacter jejuni?
Abdominal cramps
BLOODY diarrhoea
Vomiting
Fever
Would you give antibiotics in campylobacter jejuni?
Yes you can give if severe symptoms or the patient has other risk factors (HIV or heart failure)
What ABx would be given to a patient with campylobacter jejuni?
Popular choices are azithromycin or ciprofloxacin
What is the intubation period for campylobacter jejuni?
2 to 5 days and symptoms resolve after 3 to 6 days
How is shigella spread?
Spread by faeces contaminated water, drinking water or food.
What does shigella present with?
BLOODY diarrhoea
Abdominal cramps
Fever
How would you treat shigella?
Azithromycin or ciprofloxacin
How is salmonella spread?
Eating raw poultry
Raw eggs
Food contaminated with infected faeces of small animals