Gastrointestinal Flashcards
What is the intestinal microflora?
A complex ecosystem of over 400 bacterial species. They prevent infection by interfering with pathogens
What substances in the GI tract are defensive against mechanisms?
- Intestinal microflora
- Gastric acid
- Bile
What is diarrhoea?
Passage of loose or watery stools, at at least three times in 24 hrs
What is chronic diarrhoea?
Diarrhoea with symptoms of over 30 days
What are the causes of infective diarrhoea?
- Intraluminal infection
- Systemic infections e.g. sepsis
What are the non-infective causes of diarrhoea?
- Cancer
- Chemicals
- IBD
- IBS
- Endocrine dysfunction
- Radiation
What is the most common cause of acute diarrhoea?
Intraluminal infection
List some possible micro-organisms causing watery diarrhoea
- Bacteria= Vibrio cholerae, E coli, Clostridium perfringens, staph aureus
Viral= Rotavirus, norovirus
Parasitic= Giardia cryptosporidium
List some possible micro-organisms causing bloody diarrhoea
- Bacterial= Shigella, salmonella, E coli
- Parasitic= Entamoeba histolytica
Where are rotavirus outbreaks common?
Daycare centres/ nurserys
Most common in children
Where are norovirus outbreaks common?
Hospitals, restaurants, cruise ships
What is the most common cause of traveller’s diarrhoea?
E coli
How is cholera treated?
Rehydration
What are the clinical features of giardia duodenalis?
- Offensive diarrhoea
- Chronic
- Bloating
- Flatulence
- Abdominal cramps
What is cholecystitis?
Gallbladder inflammation, cystic duct obstruction by gall stones
What causes pyogenic liver abscesses?
- Biliary sepsis
- Hematogenous spread
What are the clinical features of liver abscesses?
- Fever
- Right upper quadrant pain
- Nausea
- Vomitting
- Anorexia
- Weight loss
- Malaise
How are liver abscesses diagnosed?
- Abdominal CT or ultrasound
- Blood cultures and E. histolytica serology
- Aspiration and culture of abscess material
How are liver abscesses treated?
- Drainage and antibiotics
What is peritonitis?
Inflammation of the visceral and parietal peritoneum or secondary to an infection
What are the primary causes of peritonitis?
Underlying cirrhosis and ascites, TB peritonitis, PID
What are the secondary causes of peritonitis?
Spillage from a viscus
What are some possible causes of intraluminal obstruction?
- Tumour
- Diaphragm disease
- Meconium ileus
- Gallstone ileus
What are the 4 cardinal signs of obstruction?
- Absolute constipation
- Colicky abdominal pain
- Abdominal distension
- Vomitting
What are some possible causes of intramural obstruction?
- Inflammatory= Crohns, diverticulitis
- Tumours
- Neural= Hirschsprung’s disease
Where does diverticular disease most commonly occur?
Sigmoid colon
What are some possible causes of extraluminal obstructions?
- Adhesions
- Sigmoid Volvulus (loop)
- Peritoneal tumour
What are the symptoms of intestinal obstruction?
- Colicky pain
- Vomitting (early in proximal, late in large bowel)
- Constipation (early in distal, late in small bowel)
- Obstipation
- Abdominal distension
What is the commonest cause of small bowel obstruction?
Adhesion
What is the commonest cause of large bowel obstruction?
Colorectal malignancy
What is the most typical symptom of small bowel obstruction?
- Non- localised cramping pain
How is sigmoid Volvulus usually treated?
Fluids and decompression
What does the apc protein do in normal life?
It binds to beta catenin and removes it to keep the levels low
What happens if there is mutated apc protein?
The beta catenin levels will rise, causing an unregulation in genes that cause epithelial proliferation= adenoma and carcinoma of the colon
What genetic diseases are associated with colorectal carcinoma?
- Familial adenomatous polyposis
- Lynch syndrome
How is colorectal cancer staged?
Dukes classification
Why does tumour of the colon metastasise to the liver?
The venous drainage of the colon spreads directly to the portal system of the liver, allowing spread
What is anorexia nervosa?
Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements leading to significant low body weight in the context of age, sex, developmental and physical health with an intense fear of gaining weight
What is bulimia nervosa?
Recurrent episodes of binge eating characterised by eating in a discrete amount of time large amounts of food, with a sense of lack of controlled during an episodes. Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviour in order to prevent weight gain (purging).
What is diarrhoea?
The passage of loose/watery stool 3 or more times in 24 hrs
What is the Bristol stool chart?
A scale of stool consistency with 1 being very dry and solid, and 7 being very watery
What are the possible non infective causes of diarrhoa?
- Neoplasm
- Hormonal
- Inflammation
- Irritable bowel
- Anatomical
- Radiation
- Chemical
Briefly explain the chain of infection
- Reservoir
- Agent
- Host
Which types of hepatitis are foecal-oral spread?
A and E
What are some common organisms that cause blood diarrhoea?
Shigella
Salmonella
What are some common organisms that cause non-bloody diarrhoea?
Rotavirus
Adenovirus
What virus causes cholera?
Vibrio cholerae
What are the symptoms of cholera?
Severe watery diarrhoea
Vomitting
Thirst
Leg cramps
What are common causes of diarrhoea in children?
- Rotavirus or norovirus
- E coli
- Salmonella or shigella
- Cryptosporidium
An 87 year old resident of a care home presents with confusion, altered consciousness, dehydration and diarrhoea. What is it likely to be?
- Norovirus
- Diverticulitis
- UTI
- Rotavirus
- C. Diff
How does antibiotic-associated c.diff occur?
Broad spectrum antibiotics kill the normal gut microbiome, allowing c.diff to be able to grow, causing diarrhoeal illness
How can you reduce spread of c.diff?
- Control antibiotic usage
- Wash hands, don gloves etc
- Surveillance and case finding
- Isolate patients
How is c.diff infection treated?
Metronidazole
Stop C antibiotic
What are the at risk groups for diarrhoeal illness?
- Persons of doubtful personal hygiene
- Children who attend pre-school
- People work in food preparation
- HCW/ Social care staff looking after vulnerable people
What is ascites?
An accumulation of excess serous fluid within the peritoneal cavity
How much fluid is normally present in the peritoneal cavity in men?
None
How much fluid is normally present in the peritoneal cavity in women?
20ml
What are the causes of transudates ascites?
- Low plasma protein concs= malnutrition, nephrotics
- High venous pressure= Congestive cardiac failure
- Portal hypertension
What are the causes of exudates ascites?
- Peritoneal malignancy
- Tuberculous peritonitis
- Budd-Chiari syndrome
What are the clinical features of ascites
- Abdominal distension
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Wasting
- Pain
- Jaundice
How are ascites treated?
- Treat specific cause
- Sodium restriction
- Diuretics
- Paracentesis
- Indwelling drain
What are the two parts of the peritoneum?
- The visceral peritoneum
- The parietal peritoneum
What are the functions of the peritoneum?
- Visceral lubrication
- Fluid and particulate absorption
- Pain perception
- Inflammatory and immune response
- Fibrinolytic activity
What pathogens cause peritonitis?
- E coli
- Streptococci
- Enterococci
- Clostridium spp.
- Bacteriodes spp.
Simon, a 57-year-old banker, comes in to the surgery complaining of pain immediately below the ribs. After a taking a history, he tells you the pain is typically worse at night and when he’s hungry but has found that a glass of milk seems to help. He had a MI 3 years ago and takes aspirin daily. What is this history suggestive of?
Duodenal Ulcer
Hernia is a type mechanical intestinal obstruction, name 3 sites where you might see a hernia?
Inguinal (direct/indirect),
- Femoral,
- Umbilical,
- Incisional (site of previous surgical incision)
A doctor is performing an abdominal examination of a patient with suspected bowel obstruction.
When they percuss an area of the bowel they hear tympanic sounds. What does this indicate is the contents of the bowel in this area?
Air/ Gas
What 3 factors would you consider when deciding whether to perform an operation for oesophageal cancer?
Is the patient medically fit / age / co-morbidities
- Has the cancer spread? / Metastasis / Severity of the cancer
- Is the cancer resectable
Describe 3 differences between Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease?
- Location: UC- Large Bowel Only (1), Crohn’s anywhere in GI tract
- Appearance: UC= continuous Crohn’s patchy/ skip lesions
- Histology: UC- mucosa only Crohn’s- transmural
- Granulomatous: UC not Crohn’s is
- Serology: UC 70% ANCA Crohn’s 70% ASCA
Patients with Crohn’s disease are often put on long term steroids. What are 2 side effects this may have?
- Weight Gain
- Decreased Density of Bone / Osteoporosis
- Increased risk of infection / Immunosuppression
- Hyperglycaemia/ Link to causing DM+ HTN
- Effects growth (caution use in younger people)
- Skin Thinning
- Fluid Retention/ Oedema
Other than to digest food give 3 functions of the stomach
- Kill Microbes
- Secrete intrinsic factor / enable B12 absorption
- Store and/or Mix food
- Secrete and active proteases
- Produce stomach acid
- Regulate emptying into the duodenum
A 65-year-old woman presents to A&E with a 2-day history of progressive Right Upper Quadrant pain that she rates as 9/10. She reports experiencing fever, and being unable to eat or drink due to nausea and abdominal pain at baseline, exacerbated by food ingestion. Her pain is not relieved by bowel movement and is not related to food. She has not recently taken antibiotics, nor does she use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or drink alcohol. On examination, she is febrile at 39.4°C; seated BP is 97/58 mmHg; standing BP is 76/41 mmHg. She seems confused. Jaundice. What can this specific set of symptoms be classified as?
Reynold’s pentad of ascending cholangitis