Gastrointestinal Function Biochemical Tests Flashcards
What are the key components of the Gi tract?
Mouth - break down of food and mix will amylase containing saliva
Stomach - churning o food with gastric juice (acid and pepsin)intrinsic factor
Duodenum - bike acids and pancreatic juice
Small intestine - absorption water, salts and nutrients.
Large intestine - absorbs water, salts and B12
What are the 2 processes of the GI tract?
Digestion and absorption
What digestion occurs in the stomach?
Physical - mechanical churning of food to make chyme
Chemical - gastric juice containing acid and pepsin stimulated by gastrin.
The intrinsic factor helps with B12 absorption.
What causes peptic ulcers
Heicobactor pylori and gastronoma
How does helicobactor pylori cause peptic ulcers?
The infection weakens the protective layer of the stomach and allows the stomach acid to attack the cell walls. The helicobactor pylori secretes urease to protect itself. (Urea to ammonia and CO2).
How do you diagnose peptic ulcers from helicobactor pylori?
Urea breath test
How is the urea breath test done?
Patient ingests urea and the pylori if present makes it into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is then breathed out and measured.
Alternative H.pylori tests?
Serological tests (patients with H.pylori make antibodies to it and these can be tested - is not helpful in saying the H.pylori is gone.
Faecal antigen testing
Treatment of H.pylori?
histamine antagonists (blocks the release of acid in stomach, protein pump inhibitors and antibiotice
Gastinomas - zolinger Ellison syndrome - what does this do?
Gastrin produces tumours in the pancreas or stomach and stimulates gastric acid production. This increase of gastric acid can produce ulcers. Patients can also have diarrhoea as fat malabsorption does not really happen
Are gastronomes normally malignant?
Yes
How do you diagnose a gastrinoma?
Elevated gastrin or giving IV secretin which produces increased gastrin
Pancreas juice?
Is alkaline (contains tryptase, amylase, lypase, elastase)and is essential for digestion of protein, carbohydrate and lipids.
What is acute pancreatitis commonly associated with?
Gall stones and alcoholism, acute abdominal pain
What is the diagnosis for acute pancreatitis?
Elevated serum amylase level and a CT scan, serum lipase, associated with hypcalcaemia, and raised inflammatory markers CRP
Can occur in other abdominal conditions
Chronic pancreatitis occurs because of what?
Impaired secretion of pancreatic enzymes - malabsorption.
How do you test of chronic pancreatitis?
Bicarbonate, and enzyme activity.
You do a faecal elastase - test to assess exocrine pancreatic dysfunction in chronic pancreatitis
What happens when there is low levels of pancreas specific enzyme in chronic pancreatitis?
Pancreatic insufficiency
What organs aren’t functioning correctly to get malabsorption disease?
stomach,pancreas, hepatobiliary system and small intestine
Does the small intestine have a large surface area and what is this increased by?
It does have a large surface area and Vili increases the surface area
What does malabsorption mean?
Failure of the normal digestion and/or absorption of nutrients
This can be generalised or specific
What are the consequences of malabsorption in the mount?
poor food preparation, poor dentition
Causes of malabsorption in in the stomach?
impaired mixing & digestion, ↓ Intrinsic factor
Malabsorption causes - pancreas, bile salts and structural defects
Pancreatic insufficiency - chronic pancreatitis, CF, gallstones,pancreatic Ca
Bile salt insufficiency – fat malabsorption
Structural defects - Infiltration & destruction/removal of small intestine
Malabsorption causes - mucosal disorders, endocrine, fictitious and what?
Mucosal disorders - Coeliac disease, IBD – decreased absorptive area
Endocrine – hyperthyroidism, hormone secreting tumours
Factitious – laxative abuse
Infective agent
What are the consequences of malabsorption?
Weight loss, Failure to thrive
Abdominal distension
Anaemia
Metabolic bone disease
Diarrhoea
How do yo reach a clinical diagnosis?
Clinical history investigations - family, radiotherapy , previous surgery, peptic ulcers, medication, travel, pancreatic disease or alcohol consumption
What are the biochemical tests in the lab for malabsorption?
FBC, film
Ferritin, B12, folate
LFTs
calcium, magnesium
Glucose
CRP
TFT’s
stool microscopy and culture
What are some more specific lab tests needed for malabsorption?
Tissue transglutaminase antibody test - Coeliac disease
- Faecal calprotectin - Inflammatory bowel disease
- Faecal Elastase - Pancreatic insufficiency
- Laxative screens- Gut Hormone assays
- Urinary 5HIAA - Carcinoid syndrome
What are some anatomical investigations?
Radiology - x-ray
Endoscop
Small bowel biopsy
US of liver an pancreas
CT of pancreas
ERCP of pancreatic and bile duct
What are some nutritional assessments in malabsorption?
Anthropometry:
- weight
- height
-BMI
- waist circumference
- skin fold thickens
- mid arm circumference