Gastrointestinal 3 Flashcards
What is referred pain? Why does this happen?
Referred pain is a phenomenon where stimulation of visceral nociceptors usually produces pain referred to the surface, often in a different area. This happens because visceral and somatic afferents synapse on the same second order neurons in the spinal cord, and the brain interprets the subsequent input as somatic.
What is intestinal obstruction and what are the five different disorders that can cause it?
- Intestinal obstruction is a condition where the transport of material through the lumen may be blocked.
- Mechanical obstruction of the lumen
- Volvulus or hernia,
- Intussusception,
- Paralytic ileus,
- Destruction or congenital absence of neurons in the intestinal plexuses.
what causes Mechanical obstruction of the lumen?
due to tumor, severe inflammation
what is Volvulus (also called a hernia)?
which is the twisting of the bowel forming a closed loop
where do volvulus form?
in the small intestine, sigmoid colon or cecum; areas where the mesentery is longer.
what are the consequences and treatment for Volvulus?
Consequences are infarction of the intestine and gangrene, requiring immediate surgery.
what is intussusception?
the prolapse of part of the intestine into the adjacent segment. This can be intermittent, causing periodic pain, or complete, requiring surgical correction.
what is Paralytic ileus? what causes it? what are the consequences?
the temporary absence of peristalsis due to impaired neural control following abdominal surgery or peritonitis. Symptomatic treatment (nasogastric tube, IV fluids) usually results in total recovery. Otherwise, the intestine would become severely distended with fluid and electrolytes, accompanied by shock.
what causes Destruction or congenital absence of neurons? what is the treatment?
occasionally occurs in advanced inflammatory bowel disease, and some children are born with neural defects in the intestine. Removal of the aperistaltic area is often curative
What is the treatment for Diverticular Disease?
The treatment is supportive (analgesics, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory) if mild, surgical if severe (obstruction, fistula, perforation) or recurrent.
What is Diverticular Disease?
It’s a condition with pouches forming in the colon, often in the sigmoid region, due to herniation of the mucosa and submucosa through the muscular layers of the bowel.
where does Diverticular Disease usually occur?
- often in the sigmoid region
- occurring at the natural gaps in smooth muscle where blood vessels penetrate the colonic wall
how is Diverticular Disease diagnosed?
by radiologic examination following barium enema.
how big are Diverticula?
range in size from 1 mm - 5 cm or more
What is the prevalence of Diverticular Disease?
- This disorder is very common in North America, the frequency increases with age, and it occurs in almost half of persons over the age of 60.
- The incidence in North America has been rising throughout this century, whereas diverticulosis is still very rare in Africa and Asia
what causes Diverticular disease?
he environmental cause is considered to be inadequate fiber in the diet. This prolongs intestinal transit time and narrows lumen diameter, thereby increasing the force of segmental contractions, producing mini-compartments of high intraluminal pressure.
What are the consequences/symptoms of Diverticular Disease?
The majority of people with Diverticular Disease are asymptomatic, some have intermittent lower abdominal pain, distention, discomfort, which may decrease on a high fiber diet
What are the complications of Diverticular Disease?
- Diverticulitis - inflammation of a diverticulum, often due to blockage with fecal material. Causes increased pain, leukocytosis. Localized infection can produce fever, abscess, which may lead to perforation, adhesions, and fistulas, or general peritonitis, or septicemia. Severe inflammation can also cause physical obstruction or paralytic ileus.
- Bleeding - vessel rupture. This is less common.
How is Celiac Disease treated?
The treatment for Celiac Disease is a gluten-free diet.
What happens when gluten is ingested in Celiac Disease?
- Ingested gluten is broken into gliaden peptides which are transported to the lamina propria
- where modification by an enzyme, TG2, facilitates binding to antigen presenting cells, and activation of helper T cells, initiating B-cell production of antibodies against TG2 and the modified gliaden.
- Epithelial cells also release inflammatory cytokines, and CD8 T cells are activated.
- This results in tissue destruction and villous atrophy.
What are the consequences/symptoms of Celiac Disease?
Symptoms can begin at any age and include GI pain, diarrhea, malabsorption, weight loss, and chronic malnutrition
How is Celiac Disease diagnosed?
Celiac Disease is diagnosed via intestinal biopsy and antibodies (IgA anti-TG2). The biopsy reveals Villous atrophy, crypt hypertrophy, and intraepithelial lymphocytes.
What is the cause of Celiac Disease?
It’s an autoimmune T-cell mediated enteropathy, triggered by gluten proteins in wheat, rye, and barley. There’s a genetic susceptibility involving MHC class II genes, plus some environmental trigger, possibly infection, or alterations in the microbiome.
are women or more more susceptible to having celiac disease?
women
what is the prevalence of celiac disease in Canada?
1%
what are the two major types of inflammatory bowel disease?
- Ulcerative Colitis: the problem is mostly in the MUCOSA.
- Crohn’s Disease: abnormalities go right through the ENTIRE WALL of the bowel.
Four major distinctions between crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis:
- In Crohn’s disease, any region of the GI tract can be affected, but most often it occurs in the small
intestine, and sometimes it extends into the colon. In contrast, ulcerative colitis affects the colon and
rectum only (colitis - limited to the colon). It begins in the rectum/ sigmoid colon, and extends proximally. - The inflammation in Crohn’s Disease is transmural, it goes through the wall whereas in ulcerative colitis
the inflammation is restricted to the mucosa/submucosa. - In Crohn’s Disease, lesions occur in patches, with an area that is inflamed, a normal area, an inflamed
area, a normal area and so on (“skip” lesions). In Ulcerative Colitis, the lesion is continuous. - ULCERATIVE COLITIS CAN BE CURED BY SURGERY. You can live without your colon. There is NO CURE FOR CROHN’S DISEASE. You cannot live without the small intestine, and since Crohn’s Disease always involves the small intestine to some extent, you can’t cure it surgically. Also, in Crohn’s Disease the lesions occur in multiple locations, and if you remove one area, new lesions usually appear
elsewhere. Treatment is symptomatic, mainly with a combination of drugs.
Features common to both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis:
- They are BOTH CHRONIC, DEBILITATING DISEASES. Long-term inflammatory diseases of any type
are difficult and stressful, particularly when incurable such as Crohn’s Disease. However, new
medications can greatly reduce symptoms. - The CAUSE IS MULTIFACTORIAL, and involves genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and
immune dysregulation. Changes in the microbiome are important, with bacterial, and possibly viral
involvement. Many cell types are involved in the inflammatory process. - The AGE DISTRIBUTION IS SIMILAR for both types of IBD. Often begins in adolescents and young
adults, mainly between the ages of 10-30. There is a second smaller peak between 50-60. - The techniques for DIAGNOSIS are similar: ENDOSCOPY, BIOPSY, BARIUM X-rays and the
SYMPTOMS. - BOTH MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH NON-INTESTINAL SYMPTOMS, affecting the joints, the liver, and
particularly the skin. Intestinal disorders are often accompanied by a variety of skin lesions.
symptoms of Crohn’s disease (and what do they depend on)
The symptoms mainly depend on: 1) the region of the intestine involved and 2) the severity of the
inflammation. About 1/3 of people have problems in the small intestine only. About 1/3 in the colon only.
The rest have mixed lesions in both locations.
Consequences of inflammation in the small intestin
characteristics of Crohn’s disease (where it occurs, pathology that occurs, …)
- the inflammation extends throughout the entire wall of the intestine.
- Granulomas and
fistulas are common - Villous atrophy occurs in the small intestine, even in areas that are not obviously
inflamed, leading to malabsorption - The ileum has a “cobblestone appearance” because of the ulcerations.
- Skip lesions are common, with an ulcerated region, then a normal area and then lesions again
- The
ulcerations can cause regional enteritis, for example in the terminal ileum
Consequences of inflammation in the small intestine (in Crohn’s disease)
1) Intermittent abdominal pain. The pain may be due to partial obstruction of the intestine.
2) Inflammation and fever.
3) Fibrosis with thickening and rigidity of the wall and narrowing of the lumen, predisposing to obstruction.
4) Anemia - because of the mucosal erosion and the bleeding.
5) Weight loss - because of the malabsorption and also the loss of protein from the inflamed mucosa with
increased cell turnover.
6) Diarrhea - because of osmotically active ingredients in the intestine. The osmotic diarrhea causes
additional loss of nutrients due to rapid transit through the intestine.
Consequences of inflammation in the large intestine (Crohn’s)
- Abdominal pain and Diarrhea. -Major function of the large intestine is water absorption, impairment
produces diarrhea. - Bleeding, often with obvious blood in the stool.
course of Crohn’s disease
The course of Crohn’s disease is variable, and unpredictable. Patients may have bouts of severe difficulty
followed by years of feeling well, then intermittent, often severe symptoms
POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF CROHN’S DISEASE:
- Hemorrhage
- Abscess
- Obstruction
- Fistula formation. Fistulas are abnormal communications between different areas, e.g. from the rectum to the skin or from a loop of small intestine to the large intestine.
- Perforation, causing peritonitis.
therapy for Crohn’s disease
- The therapy depends on the circumstances.
- Dietary supplements to try and counteract the malnutrition,
anti-inflammatory drugs, and surgery for complications, such as a fistula, or obstruction. - A fistula to the
bladder, for example, will cause infection which can spread to the kidney. - Many people with Crohn’s Disease require surgery to relieve the complications, but it will not cure the basic problem.
- Newer drugs that target inflammatory cytokines are often very beneficial.
symptoms of ulcerative colitis
1) Abdominal pain
2) Diarrhea
3) Bleeding
4) Tenesmus (difficult or painful defecation)
5) Systemic symptoms: Severe cases are accompanied by fatigue, weight loss, and fever due to the
inflammatory process. There may also be involvement of other organs
what determines the severity of tenesmus in ulcerative colitis?
The severity is related to the extent of the lesions. The larger the area of colon involved, the more
severe will be the symptoms. In extensive ulcerative colitis, the entire mucosa may be missing in the colon
and only the deeper layers of the intestinal wall remain intact. This will produce a lot of bleeding, loss of
protein, and diarrhea, from loss of the absorptive capacity of the colon.
course of ulcerative colitis
Variable, only a small proportion of patients have involvement of the entire colon
Where is the inflammation confined in ulcerative colitis?
The inflammation is confined to the mucosa of the colon and the rectum, with ulceration in the mucosa.
What happens during acute inflammation in ulcerative colitis?
Acute inflammation may be accompanied by infection and abscesses. There are attempts at healing and granulation tissue is formed at the base of the ulcer.
What is the pattern of acute attacks in ulcerative colitis?
Acute attacks are usually interspersed with periods of relative relief (remission).
How do the lesions heal in ulcerative colitis?
The ulcerated lesions heal but not completely, and there is some scarring and loss of the mucosal folds and loss of some of the normal mucous secreting glands in the affected area.
Where do the lesions begin and how do they progress in ulcerative colitis?
The lesions begin in the rectum and sigmoid colon and tend to be continuous, in contrast to the skip lesions of Crohn’s disease.
What does an endoscopy reveal during acute attacks of ulcerative colitis?
Endoscopy during acute attacks will reveal a very inflamed area of intestine.
In what percentage of ulcerative colitis patients does the inflammation not progress beyond the sigmoid?
In about 60% of patients, the inflammation does not progress beyond the sigmoid, and symptoms may be fairly mild.
possible complications of ulcerative colitis
1) Hemorrhage
2) Perforation
3) Carcinoma. After about 10 years of Ulcerative Colitis, the risk of colorectal carcinoma starts to rise, in
proportion to the extent of the disease. However, the overall risk in now quite low, even after 30 years
with the disease.
4) Toxic dilatation of the colon with block of peristalsis resulting from damage to the neuromuscular control
mechanism. This is a serious complication and requires surgery