Gastrointestinal Disorders Flashcards
Dysphagia
difficulty swallowing
Achalasia
Spastic condition of the lower esophageal sphincter which can produce a functional partial dysfunction causing dysphagia and pain
Esophageal Diverticula
Out pouching of the wall of the esophagus. extremely rare
Esophageal Varices
occurs with hepatic (liver) failures like cirrhosis. These are similar to varicose veins in appearance (distended) except they appear in the esophagus.
What causes Esophageal Varices?
Portal Hypertension from liver disease (cirrhosis of the liver)
Why are esophageal varices especially dangerous if they rupture?
because these are caused by liver problems which means that the liver wont be able to produce vitamin K (which is a clotting factor) so an already bad situation is made worse because of the inability to clot efficiently
What is a Mallory Weiss Tear?
mucosal tearing/rupture/laceration that can be life threatening if it ruptures. Seen with bulimics because of the chronic irritation from stomach acid being in the esophagus
What dysfunctions are seen in the Esophagus?
Dysphagia Achalasia Diverticula Varices Lacerations - Mallory Weiss Tear Esophageal cancer
What is GERD?
aka: Acid Reflux
will cause mucosal damage either permanent if chronic or temporary damage GERD is not chronic
What concerns do we have for patients with GERD?
chronic irritation of the esophagus from HCl can lead to cell abnormalities in the esophageal lining (turn into stomach cells) which can lead to cancer
What can chronic GERD cause?
Scaring and narrowing of the esophagus which could lead to dysphagia. Also could eventually lead to Esophageal cancer
What is Adenocarcinoma?
- cancer
- found in the distal esophagus
- increased incidence associated with Barrett Esophagus
Squamous Cancer of the Esophagus
most are attributed to alcohol and tobacco use
Barrett Metaplasia
- painful
- can cause bleeding and narrowing b/c of fibrous scar (stricture)
- increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma
What are some common disorders of the Stomach?
Ulcer disease (gastric/duodenal)
Gastritis
Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD)
Stomach Cancer
Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers
- “stress ulcers”
- Superficial ulcerations on gastric mucosal
- often associated w/ severe trauma, sepsis, major surgery, grave illnesses, alcohol abuse, extensive burns, CNS trauma/surgery, chronic exposure to NSAIDs or corticosteroids
- H. Pylori (bacteria) has been found to cause gastric ulcers
Acute Gastritis
-transient (comes and goes) inflammation of the gastric mucosa
- associated with local irritants
- bacterial endotoxins (bacteria poop)
- aspirin
- alcohol abuse
Chronic Gastritis
-chronic inflammatory changes leading to atrophy of the epithelium of the stomach
Causes
- unchecked H. Pylori
- Autoimmune gastritis
- Chemical gastropathy (NSAIDs etc.)
Why do we patients in the hospital H2 blockers or PPI like Pepcid and Prevacid even if they don’t have GERD?
because medications can irritate the stomach lining/esophagus and cause ulcerations/bleeding. By giving patients this we can prevent these from developing.
Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD)
-Deep ulceration of the stomach wall, may burrow into/through the muscular wall
Associated with…
- atrophic gastritis,
- exposure to gastric juices
- H. Pylori infection
Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori)
Major cause of Ulcers
-damages stomach lining with toxins which leads to ulcers
-increased risk of gastric cancer
Stomach Cancer
- 2nd most common cancer world wide
- majority of the time occurs in the PYLORIC region
Symptoms are usually vague
- indigestion
- weight loss
- vague Epigastric pain
- vomiting
What are the top two causes of gastric irritation and ulcer formation?
#1 = H. Pylori #2= aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)