Gastrointestinal I Flashcards
What is constipation in children?
Where the child delecates less than three times per week or experiences significant difficulty passing stool
What are the signs of constipation in a child?
Hard, pellet-like stool and in some cases overflow diarrhoea
How is Hirschprung’s disease diagnosed?
Rectal suction biopsy
What is the most common cause of constipation in children?
Dietary factors (low fibre diet)
How does Hirchsprung’s disease present?
- Delay in passing meconium (>48 hours)
- Distended abdomen
- Forceful evacuation of meconium after DRE
- Poor weight gain
- Poor response to movicol disimpaction regimens
How does IBS present?
- Chronic constipation
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Altered bowel habit
- Pain relieved by defecation
How does hypothyroidism present in children?
- Constipation
- Weight gain
- Fatigue
- Cold intolerance
- Slow growth
How does coeliac disease present?
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation (occasionally)
- Failure to thrive
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
How does lead poisoning present?
- Constipation
- Learning difficulties
- Irritability
- Loss of developmental skills
- Anaemia
How do anal fissures present?
Pain during and after bowel movements, occasionally leading to constipation due to fear of experiencing pain
How is functional constipation characterised?
Normal anorectal and colonic physiology but passage of hard stools, infrequent stools or painful defecation
Which neurological conditions can cause constipation?
Spina Bifida and Cerebral palsy
Impact the nerves that control bowel function, leading to constipation
What is the management of faecal impaction <1 year of age?
1st line: Lactulose 1mL/kg orally once or twice daily with dietry changes (increase fibre and hydration)
What is the management of faecal impaction >1 year of age?
1st line: osmotic laxative (polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3350 electrolytes aka Movicol), this can be mixed with a cold drink
If impaction not achieved in 2 weeks, add a stimulant laxative eg. Senna (>2y/o), Bisacodyl (>12y/o), Sodium picosulfate (>4y/o)
How should a two year old with faecal impaction who does not tolerate Movicol be treated?
Substitute Movicol for a stimulant laxative alone or in combination with an osmotic laxative such as lactulose
When should rectal medications be used for faecal disimpaction?
When all oral medications have failed
What are the rectal medications for faecal disimpaction?
1st line: sodium citrate enema
2nd line: phsophate enema (only under specialist supervision in a specialist centre)
What is the next line if oral and rectal faecal disimpaction methods have failed?
Manual evacuation of the bowel under anaesthesia
How often should children and young people undergoing disimpaction be reviewed?
Within 1 week
What is the maintenance regimen for a child with constipation?
Following disimpaction therapy:
1st line: Polyethylene glycol 3350 + electrolites and adjust the dose according to symptoms and response
(add a stimulant laxative if this doesn’t work, substitute a stimulant laxative alone or lactulose if movicol not tolerated)
Continue medication at maintenance dose for several weeks after regular bowel habit is established (can take several months)
What is the policy for children who are toilet training and laxatives?
Children who are toilet training should remain on laxatives until toilet training is well established
How should laxatives be stopped in children?
Don’t stop laxatives abruptly, gradually reduce the dose over a period of months in response to stool consistency and frequency
Should idiopathic constipation be treated with dietary interventions alone?
No, should be a combination of non-punitive behavioural interventions, dietary interventions (fibre and fluid, cows’ milk exclusion) and daily physical activity
What is retentative posture?
- Straight-legged
- Tiptoed
- Back arching posture
- Straining
- Anal pain
Which medications can cause constipation?
Opiates
What is the management for faecal impaction in infants not yet weaned?
- Bottle-fed: give extra water between feeds, gental abdominal massage and bicycling the infant’s legs
- Breast-fed: organic causes should be considered
What is the managemed for faecal impaction if the infant is weaned?
- Offer extra water, diluted fruit juice and fruits
- If uneffective, consider adding lactulose
What is the pathophysiology of Hirschprung’s disease?
- Parasympathetic neuroblasts fail to migrate from the neural crest to the distal colon
- Developmental failure of the parasympathetic Auerbach and Meissner plexuses
- Uncoordinated peristalsis –> functional obstruction
What are the associations with Hirschprung’s?
- 3 times more common in males
- Down’s syndrome
Which symptoms would warrant a DRE in a child with faecal impaction?
- Delayed passage of meconium (>48 hrs)
- Constipation since first few weeks of life
- Chronic abdominal distention (+ vomiting)
- Family hx of Hirschsprung’s
- Faltering growth (in addition to any of the previous features)
What is the management of Hirschsprung’s?
- Rectal washouts/ bowel irrigation
- Surgery to affected segment of colon
What is the pathophysiology of coeliac?
Sensitivity to the protein gluten leading to villous atrophy, in turn causing malabsorption
When do children normally present with coeliac?
Before the age of 3
Which genes is coeliac disease strongly associated with?
HLA-DQ2 (95% of patients), HAL-DQ8 (80% of patients)
How is coeliac disease diagnosed?
- Coeliac serology screening
- Endoscopic jejunal biopsy showing subtotal villous atrophy
What is non-responsive coeliac disease?
Persistent symptoms and enteropathy that don’t respond after 6-12 months on a self reported gluten-free diet
What is refractory coeliac disease?
Persistent or recurrent symptoms and villous atrophy on duodenal biopsy, despite strict aherence to a gluten-free diet for at least 12 months
How long should a person be gluten free before coeliac serology testing?
Minimum 6 weeks
Why are patients with coeliac disease offered the pneumococcal vaccine?
Patients with coeliac disease often have a degree of functional hyposplenism
How often should coeliac patients be given a booster for the pneumococcal vaccine?
Every 5 years
What serology should be carried out in someone suspected of coeliac?
1st line: IgA tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies and total IgA
What serology should be carried out if IgA tTG is weakly positive?
IgA endomysial antibodies
What is the 2nd/3rd line serology for coeliac?
IgG EMA, IgG deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) or IgG tTG if IgA is deficient
What are the findings of endoscopic intestinal/ jejunal biopsy that would indicate coeliac?
- Villous atrophy
- Crypt hyperplasia
- Increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes
- Lamina propria infiltration with lymphocytes