Gastrointestinal Flashcards
-Hiatus hernia, describe the 2 types and which is most common? Where does the gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ) lie in both?
- 95% are sliding: GOJ slides through hiatus and lies above diaphragm, asymptomatic or +reflux
- para-oesophageal: fundus rolls up through hiatus alongside oesophagus, GOJ remains below diaphragm.
A para-oesophageal rolling hernia is more rare than the classic sliding hernia and more serious, what are risks associated with a rolling hernia?
- gastric volvulus (rotation and strangulation of stomach)
- bleeding
- respiratory complications
Acute hepatic failure is hepatic failure with ______.
- It develops in less than __weeks in a pt with previously normal liver/in pts with an acute exacerbation of underlying disease.
- Cases that evolve up to 12 weeks are known as ___ hepatic failure.
- encephalopathy (a neuropsych condition in pts with liver disease)
- <2 weeks
- 2-12weeks = subacute hepatic failure
2 most common causes of acute hepatic failure in UK? It occurs as a result of massive liver cell ____ following acute liver damage of any cause.
- viral hepatitis
- paracetamol overdose
- massive liver cell necrosis
Acute hepatic failure presents with encephalopathy (severity varies) and severe ____ and a marked _____.
Name 3 complications:
- severe jaundice & marked coagulopathy
- complications: cerebral oedema, hypoglycaemia, severe bacterial/fungal infections, hypotension, renal failure
-What can be life-saving treatment for some acute hepatic failure but is offered solely based on severity of encephalopathy and reserved for the most severe cases of which 80% would die without it?
-emergency liver transplant
explain the grades of hepatic encephalopathy from 0 (completely fine) to 4 (coma)
0-no LOC, normal personality/behaviour
1-daytime somnolence, short attention span, mild asterixis
2-lethargic, time disorientated, obvious asterixis, inappropriate behaviour
3-asleep but rousable, confusion, incomprehensible speech
4-coma
Name 2 criteria for pts with acute livery injury to be transferred to specialist liver units?
- INR > 3
- hepatic encephalopathy present
- Hypotension despite fluid resus
- Metabolic acidosis
- Prothromin time seconds > interval (hours) from OD ( in terms of paracetamol induced)
What blood test can be used to screen for problematic levels of alcohol intake?
-elevated serum gamma GT and raised MCV (also helpful to monitor progress)
Liver damage by alcohol is as a direct result of tissue toxicity and the effects of malnutrition and vitamin deficiency which often accompany excessive drinking, name a cardio and 2 neuro related complications (short term & long term) other than Wernicke’s and Korsakoffs
- cardio: direct toxicity –> cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias
- neuro: acute intoxication -> ataxia, falls, head injury + intercranial bleeds. Long term: polyneuropathy, myopathy, cerebellar degeneration, dementia and epilepsy.
Wernicke’s encephalopathy is a result of vitamin __ deficiency. Other than alcohol related, it can be secondary to sever ____ or prolonged ____
- B1 thiamine
- severe starvation or prolonged vomiting
What is the classic triad in Wernicke’s encephalopathy? NB: its a clinical diagnosis
- confusion (drowsiness, pre-coma..)
- ataxia
- ophthalmoplegia
What is the immediate treatment of Wernicke’s encephalopathy?
-IV injection of B-complex vitamins TDS for 3-5days
Pts at risk of Wernicke’s encephalopathy are treated prophylactically with IV B vitamins for 3-5days, suggest 2 pt groups that may be classed as “at risk”?
- significant weight loss
- signs of undernutrition
- alcohol withdrawal symptoms requiring hospital admission
Administration of ____ may exacerbate an acute loss of thiamine hence it is essential that ___ is given before ___
- glucose
- thiamine is given before glucose
Alcohols consequence on following, state 2 each:
- GI
- haem
- Psych
- Social
- GI: liver damage, pancreatitis, oesophagitis, increased oeophageal carcinoma risk
- Haem: thrombocytopaenia (platelet maturation inhibited and less release from BM), raised MCV and anaemia (from dietary folate deficiency)
- Psych: increased depression and self-harm
- Social: marital and sexual difficulties, employment, financial and homelessness issues
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms:
- in 6-12 hrs
- between 2 days-2weeks..
- 6-12hrs: tremor, nausea, sweating (rx reducing dose chlordiazepoxide)
- generalised tonic-clonic seizures
- delirium tremens: fever, marked tremor, tachyC, agitation, visual hallucinations, treat urgently
Chlordiazepoxide dose in alcohol withdrawal:
-30mg four times daily decreasing to 0mg over 7 days
with heavy intake can increase up to 60mg QDS and reduce to 0mg over 10days
What is the drug of choice for alcohol detoxification in pts with severe liver disease?
(it is not metabolised by the liver) O____
Oxazepam
After alcohol withdrawal it’s essential that relapse is prevented, DALs, psych, counselling etc help. What oral GABA analouge reduces relapses by 50%? A______.
Acamprosate
Name 5 conditions affecting the small intestine that can cause malabsorption
- coeliac disease
- crohn’s disease
- dermatitis herpatiformis
- tropical sprue
- bacterial overgrowth
- intestinal resection
- Whipple’s disease
- radiation enteritis
- parasite infection e.g. Giardia Intestinalis
Name 2 substances absorbed in the terminal ileum by specific receptors?
- vitamin B12
- bile salts
Suggest 3 presenting symptoms of small bowel disease.
Investigation of suspected SB disease is initially with ____ serology, small bowel ____ swallow or ___ and endoscopic small bowel ____.
- diarrhoea, steatorrhoea, abdo pain/discomfort, anaorexia–>weight loss
- coeliac serology, small bowel barium swalow or MRI and endoscopic SB biopsy
What is coeliac disease aka gluten-sensitive enteropathy
- an autoimmune condition
- abnormal jejunal mucosa
- improves when gluten is excluded from diet, relapses when included
- 1% Europeans have it, most of whom are undiagnosed
coeliac disease is strongly associated with which 2 HLA class II molecules? Which peptide is the toxic portion of gluten?
HLA: DQ2 and DQ8
-alpha-gliadin peptide = toxic
How does alpha-gliadin of gluten cause bowel irritation in coeliacs?
- it is resistant to ____ in SB lumen and passes through a damaged ___ barrier of SB where it is _______ by tissue _____ so increasing its immunogenicity.
- Gliadin then interacts with ___ in the ___ ___ via HLA ___ and ___ and activated gluten-sensitive __-cells.
- The resultant inflamm cascade contributed to villous ___ and crypt ____
- proteases, epithelial, deaminated, transglutaminase
- APCs, lamina propria, DQ2 and DQ8, T-cells
- atrophy, hyperplasia
Presentation of coeliac disease of coeliac disease peaks at 2 ages-when? Symptoms/signs may include…. and there may be an increased incidence of ___ and ______ diseases.
- infancy post-waning on to gluten containing foods
- adults in 5th decade
- diarrhoea, steatorrhoea, abdo pain/discomfort, anaorexia–>weight loss
- non-specific: tiredness/malaise, physical signs from anaemia and nutritional deficiency
- atopy and autoimmune disease
Investigations for coeliac disease, name 3
- serum antibodies: IgA tTG - high sensitivity and specificity (IgA endomysial are less sensitive)
- distal duodenal biopsies for definitive diagnosis
- blood count: mild anaemia is common, rarely B12, and almost always folate deficiency
- small bowel radiology or capsule endoscopy if a complication is suspected only
- bone densitometry (DEXA) done at diagnosis due to increased risk of osteoporosis
Explain the findings of a distal duodenal biopsy on a pt with coeliac disease:
- increase in number of intraepithelial lymphocytes
- crypt hyperplasia
- chronic inflammatory cells in the lamina propria
- subtotal villous atrophy
What at risk patient groups should be screened with serological testing for coeliac disease? name 4
- autoimmune disease: T1DM, thyroid disease, autoimmune liver disease, Addison’s disease
- IBS with diarrhoea
- unexplained osteoporosis
- those with a 1st degree relative affected (10x increased risk)
- Down’s syndrome (20x increased risk)
- Turner’s syndrome
- Infertility and recurrent miscarriage
Management of coeliac’ s disease:
- diet?
- correct any..?
- __vaccine due to association with ??
- lifelong gluten free diet
- correct any vitamin deficiencies
- pneumococcal vaccine (as coeliac’ s is associated w hyposplenism)
NB: symptoms and serological tests monitor recovery/compliance with diet and re-biopsy is reserved for pts who do not respond or in whom there is diagnostic uncertainty
Name 2 malignant complications of coeliac disease
- increased malignancy risk esp.
- –> intestinal T-cell lymphoma
- –> small bowel cancer
- –> oesophageal cancer
- incidence may be reduced by a gluten free diet
Dermatitis herpetiformis is what?
- rash description? which surfaces effected?
- deposition of what? Where?
- pts also have a what sensitive enteropathy?
- an itchy, symmetrical eruption of vesicles and crusts over the extensor surfaces
- with deposition of granular IgA at the dermoepidermal junction of the skin including areas not involved with the rash
- pts also have a gluten-sensitive enteropathy (usually asymptomatic)
Treatment for Dermatitis herpetiformis?
- the skin responds to dapsone
- both the skin and gut improve on a gluten-free diet