Gastrointestinal Flashcards
What is irritable bowel syndrome?
A functional bowel disorder. It affects the large intestine.
What are the symptoms of IBS?
- Abdominal Pain
- Pain is relieved on defecation
- Bloating
- Change in bowel habit
- Mucus
- Fatigue
What are the differential diagnoses for IBS?
- Coeliac disease
- Lactose intolerance
- Bile acid malabsorption
- IBD
- Colorectal cancer
What investigations would be used in IBS?
- Bloods – FBC, U+E and LFT
- CRP
- Coeliac serology
What is the multifactoral pathophysiology of IBS?
- Psychological morbidity e.g. trauma in early life
- Abnormal gut motility
- Genetics
- Altered gut signalling (visceral hypersensitivity)
What is the treatment for mild IBS?
- Education –> dietary modification e.g. FODMAP
2. Reassurance
What is the treatment for moderate IBS?
- Antispasmodics for pain, Laxatives for constipation
- Anti-motility agents for diarrhoea
- CBT and hypnotherapy
What is the treatment for severe IBS?
- MDT approach –> referral to specialist pain treatment centres, Tri-cyclic anti-depressants
What is coeliac’s disease?
An autoimmune disease affecting anywhere from the mouth to anus (digestive system) that makes the person have an adverse reaction to gluten.
What is the pathophysiology of Coeliac’s disease?
- Gliadin (product of gluten digestion) = immunogenic
- It can have direct toxic effects by up regulating the innate immune system
- Or HLADQ2 can present it to T helper cells in the lamina propria
- This causes inflammation –> Villi atrophy and malabsorption
What are patient’s with coeliac’s disease likely to have?
Iron deficiency as it mainly affects the duodenum
How many people does coeliac’s disease affect?
1% of pop.
What is the main breakdown product of Gluten?
Gliadin
What histological features are needed to make a diagnosis of Coeliacs disease?
- Raised intraepithelial lymphocytes
- Crypt hyperplasia
- Villous atrophy
What are the symptoms of coeliac’s disease?
- Diarrhoea
- Weight loss
- Irritable bowel
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Abnormal liver function
What investigations would you order in coeliac’s disease?
- Serology – look for Autoimmune antibodies – TTG and EMA
2. Gastroscopy – Duodenal biopsies
What are some associated disorders with coeliac’s disease?
- T1
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Hypothyroidism
- Addison’s disease
Osteoporosis is also associated.
What is the treatment of coeliac’s disease?
Exclusionary diet.
What is C. difficile?
C.diff is a highly infective gram positive spore forming bacteria.
What are the risk factors of c.diff?
- Increasing age
- Co-morbidities
- Antibiotic use
- PPI
- Long hospital stays
What are the antibiotics which are likely to cause C.diff?
- Ciprofloxacin
- Co-amoxiclav
- Clindamycin
- Cephlasporins
- Carbapenems
How would you manage C.diff?
- Control Antibiotic use
- Infection control measures
- Isolate the case
- Case finding
- Test stool samples for toxins
What treatment would be given for c.diff?
Metronidazole and Vancomycin (PO)
What is Pancreatitis?
Inflammation of the pancreas
What is the cause of acute pancreatitis
- AI disease
- Drugs/medications
- Surgery
- Trauma
- Metabolic disorders
What drugs cause acute pancreatitis
- NSAIDs
- Diuretics
- Steroids
What are the potential implications of acute pancreatitis?
systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction
What are the symptoms of acute pancreatitis?
- Severe abdo pain
- Epigastric pain radiation to the back
- Nausea and vomiting
- Decreased appetite
- Exocrine and endocrine dysfunction
What is the consequence of endocrine dysfunction in pancreatitis?
- Malabsorption
- Weight loss
- Diarrhoea
- Steatorrhoea
What is the investigations in pancreatitis?
Investigation
- Right epigastric pain radiating to the back
- FBC –> Pancreatic enzymes raised – amylase and lipase
- CRP –> Inflammatory markers up
What is the treatment of Pancreatitis?
- Analgesia
- Catheterise and ABC approach for shock patients
- Antibiotics
- Nutrition
- Bowel rest
- Drainage of oedmatous fluid collections
What is chronic pancreatitis?
Inflammation of the pancreas lasting over 6 months.
What is the pathogenesis of pancreatitis?
Not fully understood but believed that
- Pancreatic duct obstruction causes activation of pancreatic enzymes
- This causes necrosis then fibrosis
How does alcohol cause chronic pancreatitis?
Alcohol –> alcohol proteins precipitate in distal structure of pancreas –> obstruction –> pancreatic fibrosis
What would be raised in chronic autoimmune pancreatitis?
IgG4
What does AI pancreatitis respond well too?
Steroids.
What drug is contraindicated in pancreatitis?
Morphine is contraindicated as it increases the sphincter of oddi pressure and aggravates pancreatitis
What enzymes are raised in pancreatitis?
LDH and LST
What are the categories of Pancreatitis?
- 70% are oedenamatous – acute fluid collection
- 25% necrotising
- 5% haemorrhagic
What are the causes of pancreatitis?
- Gallstones
- Alcohol
- Hyperlipidaemia
- Direct damage e.g. trauma
- Idiopathic
- Toxic e.g. drugs, infection and venom
How could you make a diagnosis of pancreatitis?
2 of the following
- Characteristic sever epigastric pain radiating to the back
- Raised serum amylase
- Abdo CT scan pathology
What can be used as a prognostic tool in pancreatitis?
The Glasgow scoring system
What is the treatment for pancreatitis?
- Analgesia
- Catheterise and ABC approach for shock patients
- Antibiotics
- Nutrition
- Bowel rest
- Drainage of oedmatous fluid collections
What is Crohn’s disease?
A Type of inflammatory bowel disease that inflames the lining of the digestive system.
What is the cause of Crohn’s disease?
A non-functioning mutation in NOD2.
What are some risk factors of Crohn’s disease?
Being young
Smoking
Long term NSAID usage
What is the histological features of Crohn’s disease?
Patchy, granulomatous, transmural inflammation (can affect mucosa or go through bowel wall)
What are the symptoms of Crohn’s disease?
- Diarrhoea
- Fever and fatigue
- Weight loss and reduced appetite
- Severe crohn’s may cause joint pain.
- Mouth sores
What are some complications of Crohn’s disease?
- Malabsorption
- Fistula
- Obstruction
- Perforation
- Anal fissures
- Neoplasia
- Amyloidosis
What are the investigations you would conduct in Crohn’s disease?
- Blood – CRP - FBC
- Faecal occult blood test
- Colonoscopy and endoscopy
What is the appropriate treatment for Crohn’s disease?
- Anti-inflammatories
- Corticosteroids e.g. prednisone
- Surgery to heal abscesses/remove fistulas.
What is gastritis?
Inflammation of the Gastric lining
What are 5 things which cause gastritis?
- Not enough blood – mucosal ischaemia
- H. pylori
- Aspirin or NSAIDs
- Increased stress
- Bile reflux
- Alcohol
What are the risk factors for gastritis?
- Alcohol
- Older age
- Stress
- Autoimmune
What are the symptoms of gastritis?
- Abdo pain – gnawing and burning
- Vomiting or nausea
- A feeling of fullness in upper abdo after eating.
What investigations would you order in gastritis?
- Faecal Occult blood test
- CRP blood test
- FBC
- Endoscopy
- H Pylori Test
What is the treatment for Gastritis?
- Reduced mucosal ischaemia
- PPI
- H2RA
- Enteric coated aspirin
How would you diagnose gastritis?
CRP Up
Endoscopy to confirm as the gold standard.
What is GORD?
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
A condition where acid frequently flows back into the oesophagus from the stomach and irritates the oesophageal lining.
What are 3 indications of GORD?
- Dyspepsia
- Dysphagia
- Anaemia
- Suspected Coeliac disease
What are the symptoms of GORD?
- Heart burn/chest pain
2. Acid Reflux
What are the causes of GORD?
- Weakened muscular sphincter at the bottom of the oesophagus
What are the risk factors of GORD?
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
- Hiatus Hernia
- Stress
- Eating large amounts of fatty foods.
What are indications for a colonoscopy?
- Altered bowel habit
- Diarrhoea
- Anaemia
What is the treatment for GORD?
- PPI
- Lifestyle modification
- Anti-reflux surgery
What is dyspepsia?
Indigestion –> refers to a group of conditions causing discomfort, nausea, burping and bloating
What is the criteria for dyspepsia?
- Postprandial fullness
- Early satiation
- Epigastric pain/burning
What is the cause of dyspepsia?
- Excess acid
- Prolonged NSAIDs
- Large volume meals
- Obesity
- Smoking/alcohol
- Pregnancy
What are red flag symptoms in patients with dyspepsia?
- Unexplained weight loss
- Anaemia
- Dysphagia
- Upper abdo Mass
- Persistent vomiting
What investigations would you give to someone with dyspepsia?
- Endoscopy
- Gastroscopy
- Barium swallow
- Capsule endoscopy
How would you manage dyspepsia if red flag symptoms are present?
- Suspend NSAID use and review medication
- Refer malignancy to specialist
- Endoscopy
How would you manage dyspepsia if red flag symptoms were not present?
- Review medication
- Lifestyle advice
- Full dose PPI for 1 month
- Test and treat H. Pylori infection
What lifestyle advice would you give to someone with dyspepsia?
- Lose wight
- Stop smoking
- Cut down alcohol
- Dietary modification
What is Helicobacter Pylori?
A Gram negative bacilli with a flagellum which causes gastritis and abdominal symptoms.
How does H Pylori break down the gastric mucosa?
Pylori procures urease –> ammonia –> damage to gastric mucosa
What can H Pylori cause?
Gastritis
Peptic ulcer
Gastric cancer
What are the risk factors of H Pylori?
Living without clean water, in crowded conditions, living with someone with H pylori infection.
What are the symptoms of H Pylori infection?
- Ache or burning pain.
- Abdo pain that’s worse when your stomach is empty
- Bloating, weight loss and nausea
What investigations would you carry out with suspected H Pylori infection?
- Urea breath Test
- Blood test
- Stool test
- Endoscopy
What is the appropriate management for H Pylori?
Treatment – Triple therapy
2 Antibiotics and 1 PPI
- Omeprazole, Clarithromycin and amoxicillin.