Gastrointestinal Flashcards
Zero to finals GI (complete)
What is alcoholic liver disease? Describe the stages.
Liver disease due to alcohol.
Stage 1: Alcohol related fatty liver. Reversible in 2 weeks if stop drinking.
Stage 2: Alcoholic hepatitis. Reversible if mild with permanent abstinence.
Stage 3: Cirrhosis - irreversible.
What is the weekly recommended alcohol consumption?
14 units. If 14, spread evenly over 3 or more days, no more than 5u a day.
There is no safe level - increases risk of cancer especially breast, mouth and throat. Avoid in pregnancy.
What are the screening tools which can be used to screen for harmful alcohol use?
1. CAGE - ever thought you should cut down? do you get annoyed when people comment? ever feel guilty? Drink in the morning (eye opener?) AUDIT - 10 questions, score of 8 or more indicates harmful use.
Give 5 complications of alcohol.
Alcoholic liver disease Cirrhosis and HCC alcohol dependence and withdrawal Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome Pancreatitis Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
Give 5 signs of liver disease.
Jaundice Hepatomegaly Spider Naevi Palmer erythema Gynecomastia Bruising (clotting) ascites Caput medusae (engorged superficial epigastric veins) Asterixis - flapping tremor in decompensated liver disease.
What bloods would you do for alcoholic liver disease and what would they show?
FBC - raised MCV
LFTs - elevated ALT and AST (transaminases) and raised y-GT. ALP elevated later in disease.
Low albumin due to reduced synthetic function of liver. elevated bilirubin in cirrhosis.
Clotting - elevated PTT due to reduced synthetic function of liver
U+Es deranged in hepatorenal syndrome.
How is alcoholic liver disease managed?
Stop alcohol permanently
Detox
Nutritional support - vitamins esp thiamine, high protein
Steroids improve short term outcomes (over 1 month) in severe alcoholic hepatitis but infection and GI bleeding need to be treated first. Do not improve outcomes over long term.
Treat complications of cirrhosis (portal hypertension, varices, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy)
Liver transplant if abstained from alcohol for 3 months and severe disease.
What is delirium tremens and why does it occur?
Medical emergency alcohol withdrawal. Mortality 35% if untreated.
Alcohol stimulates GABA receptors –> inhibitory. Also inhibits glutamate receptors (usually excitatory) –> inhibition of electrical activity.
Over time, GABA system becomes downregulated and glutamate upregulated. When alcohol removed, GABA under-functionals and glu over-functions –> excitability of brain, excess adrenergic activity.
How does delirium tremens present?
Acute confusion Severe agitation Delusions and hallucinations Tremor Tachycardia Hypertension Hyperthermia Ataxia (difficulties with coordinated movements) Arrhythmias
How is alcohol withdrawal managed?
CIWA-Ar (Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment – Alcohol revised) tool to score the patient on their withdrawal symptoms and guide treatment.
PO chlordiazepoxide (“Librium”)= bzd used. Diazepam is a less commonly used alternative. Reducing regime titrated to the required dose based on the local alcohol withdrawal protocol (e.g. 10 – 40 mg every 1 – 4 hours) for 5-7 days.
Intravenous high-dose B vitamins (pabrinex) followed by regular lower dose oral thiamine.
What is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?
Thiamine (B1) deficiency –> Wernicke’s encephalopathy (confusion, oculomotor disturbance, ataxia) –> if untreated, Korsakoff’s syndrome (retro- and anterograde memory impairment, behavioural changes, irreversible).
What investigations would you do for alcoholic liver disease and what would they show?
USS - fatty changes show as increased echogenicity, cirrhosis. FibroScan is a type of high frequency USS that checks the elasticity of liver, assess degree of cirrhosis.
Endoscopy - assess and treat oesophageal varices when portal hypertension is suspected.
CT/MRI - fatty infiltration, HCC, hepatosplenomegaly, abnormal blood vessel changes, ascites
How is the diagnosis of alcohol related hepatitis/cirrhosis confirmed?
Liver biopsy. Consider before starting steroids.
What are the first symptoms of alcohol withdrawal (<24h)?
6-16 hours: tremor, sweating, headache, craving, anxiety
12-24 hours: hallucinations
What are the later symptoms of alcohol withdrawal (24-72 hours)?
24-48 hours: seizures
24-72 hours: delirium tremens
What is liver cirrhosis?
Scar tissue (fibrosis) and nodules of scar tissue in the liver due to cell damage caused by chronic inflammation. This affects structure and blood flow in liver.
What are the complications of liver cirrhosis?
Portal hypertension due to increased resistance in portal veins (leading in to liver).
Give the 4 most common causes of liver cirrhosis and 1 rarer cause.
Common: Alcoholic liver disease +non alcoholic fatty liver disease Hep B and C (think in pairs) Rarer: Autoimmune hepatitis Primary biliary cirrhosis Haemochromatosis Wilsons Disease Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency Cystic fibrosis Drugs (e.g. amiodarone, methotrexate, sodium valproate)
Give 5 signs of liver cirrhosis.
Jaundice – caused by raised bilirubin
Hepatomegaly – however the liver can shrink as it becomes more cirrhotic
Splenomegaly – due to portal hypertension
Spider Naevi – these are telangiectasia with a central arteriole and small vessels radiating away
Palmar Erythema – caused by hyperdynamic circulation
Gynaecomastia and testicular atrophy in males due to endocrine dysfunction
Bruising – due to abnormal clotting
Ascites
Caput Medusae – distended paraumbilical veins due to portal hypertension
Asterixis – “flapping tremor” in decompensated liver disease
What would bloods show in cirrhosis?
LFTs - can be normal until decompensated, when ALT, AST, ALP and bili will all be abnormal.
markers of synthetic function:
Albumin decreased
PTT increased.
U+Es - hyponatraemia = fluid retention
Urea/creatinine derangement in hepatorenal syndrome
Causes - viral markers, antibodies
A-FP tumour marker for HCC - check every 6 months.
ELF = enhanced liver fibrosis test for assessing fibrosis in NAFLD.
Give 3 findings on USS for cirrhosis.
Nodularity of the surface of the liver A “corkscrew” appearance to the arteries with increased flow as they compensate for reduced portal flow Enlarged portal vein with reduced flow Ascites Splenomegaly
(test every 6 months to screen for HCC)
What is a FibroScan? Who gets one?
Checks elasticity of liver using high frequency sound waves to assess degree of cirrhosis. (aka transient elastography).
Test every 2 years if at risk of cirrhosis:
Hepatitis C
Heavy alcohol drinkers (men drinking > 50 units or women drinking > 35 units per week)
Diagnosed alcoholic liver disease
Non alcoholic fatty liver disease and evidence of fibrosis on the ELF blood test
Chronic hepatitis B (although they suggest yearly for hep B)
What is the Child-Pugh score?
Score for cirrhosis from 5-15, scoring 1-3 for bili, albumin, INR, ascites and encephalopathy.
What is the MELD?
Model for end stage liver disease. Use every 6 months in patients with compensated cirrhosis to estimate 3 month mortality, determines dialysis/transplant decisions.
How is cirrhosis managed? Give the screening programme.
USS+ A-FP every 6 months for hcc Endoscopy every 3 years in patients without known varices High protein, low sodium diet MELD score every 6 months Consideration of a liver transplant Manage complications
Give 5 complications of cirrhosis.
Malnutrition
Portal Hypertension, Varices and Variceal Bleeding
Ascites and Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (SBP)
Hepato-renal Syndrome
Hepatic Encephalopathy
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
How does cirrhosis lead to weight loss and wasting?
Increases use of muscle tissue as fuel
Reduces the protein available in the body for muscle growth.
Affects the metabolism of proteins in the liver
Reduces protein production
Disrupts glycogenesis + glycogenolysis
What is the management of malnutrition in cirrhosis?
Regular meals (every 2-3 hours) Low sodium (to minimise fluid retention) High protein and high calorie (particularly if underweight) Avoid alcohol
What are varices and why do they occur?
The portal vein comes from the superior mesenteric vein and the splenic vein and delivers blood to the liver. Liver cirrhosis –> resistance of blood flow –> back-pressure into the portal system (“portal hypertension”). –> vessels at the sites where the portal system anastomoses with the systemic venous system become swollen and tortuous (varices).
Common sites:
Gastro oesophageal junction
Ileocaecal junction
Rectum
Anterior abdominal wall via the umbilical vein (caput medusae)
Varices do not cause symptoms or problems until they start bleeding. Due to the high blood flow through varices, once they start bleeding patients can exsanguinate (bleed out) very quickly.
How are stable varices managed?
Propanolol to reduce hypertension, elastic band ligation, sclerosant injections
If fails –> TIPS: transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt = stent from portal to hepatic vein to reduce pressure
How are bleeding oesophageal varices managed?
Resuscitation: Vasopressin analogues (i.e. terlipressin) cause vasoconstriction and slow bleeding in varices
Correct any coagulopathy with vitamin K and fresh frozen plasma (=clotting factors)
Prophylactic broad spectrum antibiotics reduce mortality
Consider intubation and intensive care as they can bleed very quickly and become life threateningly unwell
Urgent endoscopy
Injection of sclerosant into the varices can be used to cause “inflammatory obliteration” of the vessel
Elastic band ligation of varices
Sengstaken-Blakemore Tube is an inflatable tube inserted into the oesophagus to tamponade the bleeding varices. This is used when endoscopy fails.
What is ascites and why does it occur in cirrhosis?
Fluid in the peritoneal cavity.
Portal hypertension causes fluid to leak out of the capillaries in the liver and bowel into the peritoneal cavity –> drop in circulating volume –> reduction in blood pressure entering the kidneys –> kidneys release renin –> RAAS activated –> reabsorption of fluid and sodium.
Does cirrhosis cause a transudative or exudative ascites?
Cirrhosis causes a transudative, meaning low protein content, ascites. The fluid comes from liver capillaries.
How is ascites managed?
Low sodium diet
Anti-aldosterone diuretics (spironolactone)
Paracentesis (ascitic tap or ascitic drain)
Prophylactic antibiotics against SBP (ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin) if <15g/l of protein in the ascitic fluid
Refractory ascities - TIPS, transplantation
What is SBP?
Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis - occurs in around 10% of patients with ascites secondary to cirrhosis and can have a mortality of 10-20%. It involves an infection developing in the ascitic fluid and peritoneal lining without any clear cause (e.g. not secondary to an ascitic drain or bowel perforation) - aka spontaneous.
How does SBP present?
Can be asymptomatic so have a low threshold for ascitic fluid culture
Fever
Abdominal pain
Deranged bloods (raised WBC, CRP, creatinine or metabolic acidosis)
Ileus
Hypotension
Give 3 common causative organisms of SBP.
Escherichia coli
Klebsiella pnuemoniae
Gram positive cocci (such as staphylococcus and enterococcus)
How is SBP managed?
Ascitic culture, then IV cephalosporin such as cefotaxime
What is hepatorenal syndrome?
Hepatorenal syndrome occurs in liver cirrhosis. Portal htn –> portal vessel dilation and pooling –> loss of blood volume in other areas of the circulation, including the kidneys. Kidneys think BP is low and activate RAAS which causes renal vasoconstriction, which combined with low circulation volume leads to renal ischemia. Hepatorenal syndrome is fatal within a week or so unless liver transplant is performed.
What is hepatic encephalopathy and why does it occur?
Aka portosystemic encephalopathy. Liver disease --> build up of toxins that affect the brain, eg ammonia produced by intestinal bacteria when they break down proteins and is absorbed in the gut. Functional impairment of the liver cells prevents them metabolising ammonia into harmless waste products, and collateral vessels between the portal and systemic circulation mean that the ammonia bypasses liver altogether and enters the systemic system directly. Precipitating Factors: Constipation Electrolyte disturbance Infection GI bleed High protein diet Medications (particularly sedative medications)
How does hepatic encephalopathy present?
Acute - reduced consciousness and confusion.
Chronic - changes to personality, memory and mood.
How is hepatic encephalopathy managed?
Laxatives (i.e. lactulose) promote the excretion of ammonia. The aim is 2-3 soft motions daily. They may require enemas initially.
Antibiotics (i.e. rifaximin) reduces the number of intestinal bacteria producing ammonia. Rifaximin is useful as it is poorly absorbed and so stays in the GI tract.
Nutritional support. They may need nasogastric feeding.
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis describes inflammation in the liver. This can vary from a chronic low level inflammation to acute and severe inflammation that leads to large areas of necrosis and liver failure.
What causes hepatitis?
Alcoholic hepatitis Non alcoholic fatty liver disease Viral hepatitis Autoimmune hepatitis Drug induced hepatitis (e.g. paracetamol overdose)
How does hepatitis present?
Asymptomatic Abdominal pain Fatigue Pruritis (itching) Muscle and joint aches Nausea and vomiting Jaundice Fever (viral hepatitis)
What is a hepatitic picture on LFTs?
LFTs show high AST/ALT with less of a rise in ALP. Suggests hepatitis.
Bilirubin may rise
What are transaminases?
Liver enzymes (AST, ALT) that are released into the blood as a result of inflammation of the liver cells.
How does hep A present?
Nausea, vomiting, anorexia and jaundice. It can cause cholestasis (slowing of bile flow through the biliary system) with dark urine and pale stools and moderate hepatomegaly. It resolves without treatment in around 1-3 months.
Which of the hepatitises are notifiable?
Hep A, B, C, D, E - all of them!
Which of the hepatitises are transmitted faeco-orally?
A and E
Which of the hepatitises are RNA viruses?
A, C, D, E
How is hep A managed?
Analgesia - should resolve in 1-3 months.
Vaccination preventable
Notifiable disease - inform public health.
Which of the hepatitises are transmitted through blood and bodily fluids?
B and C
Which of the hepatitises are DNA viruses?
B
What is the prognosis of hep B?
Most people fully recover from the infection within 2 months
10% go on to become chronic hepatitis B carriers. In these patients the virus DNA has integrated into their own DNA and so they will continue to produce the viral proteins.
How do you test for Hep B?
Antigen testing:
- Core antigen (HBcAg) and Surface antigen (HBsAg) = active infection
- E antigen (HBeAg) – marker of viral replication and implies high infectivity - correlates with infectivity.
- Hepatitis B virus DNA (HBV DNA) – this is a direct count of the viral load
How do you diagnose previous infections/immunity for hep B?
Antibody testing:
- Surface antibody (HBsAb) = vaccination or past or current infection. Used to confirm response to vaccination.
- Core antibodies (HBcAb) – IgM and IgG versions.
IgM = active infection (at the Moment)
IgG (in context of negative HBsAg) = past infection (now Gone)
What does the vaccination for Hep B involve?
Inactive HBsAg (surface antigen). Testing for HBsAb confirms response to vaccine. 3 doses at different intervals Part of the 6 in 1 vaccine
How is hep B managed?
Screening for hep B + other blood born viruses (hep A and C and HIV) and other STDs
Refer to gastroenterology, hepatology or infectious diseases for specialist management
Notify Public Health (it is a notifiable disease)
Stop smoking and alcohol
Education about reducing transmission and informing potential at risk contacts
Testing for complications: FibroScan for cirrhosis and ultrasound for hepatocellular carcinoma
Antiviral medication can be used to slow the progression of the disease and reduce infectivity
Liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease
Which of the hepatitises are vaccine-preventable?
A, B
What is the disease course of hep C?
25% recover, 75% chronic.
Complications: liver cirrhosis, hcc
How do you test for Hep C?
- Hep C Ab (screening)
2. Hep C RNA testing (diagnosis, viral load, individual genotype)
How is hep C managed?
Screening for hep C, other blood born viruses (hepatitis A and B and HIV) and other STDs
Refer to gastroenterology, hepatology or infectious diseases for specialist management
Notify Public Health (it is a notifiable disease)
Stop smoking and alcohol
Education about reducing transmission and informing potential at risk contacts
Testing for complications: FibroScan for cirrhosis and ultrasound for hepatocellular carcinoma
Antiviral treatment with direct acting antivirals (DAAs) is tailored to the specific viral genotype. They successfully cure the infection in over 90% of patients. They are typically taken for 8 to 12 weeks
Liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease
What causes hep D?
Hep B. Attaches itself to HBsAG to survive.
What are the complications of hep D?
Increases complications and disease severity of hep B.
How do you manage hep D?
No treatment. Notify public health