Gastrointestinal System Flashcards
Primary biliary cirrhosis/cholangitis (PBC)
DEF.
- Is a chronic cholangitis ( autoimmune liver disease)
- Affects women 35-60 years
- Leads to liver cirrhosis & cholestasis in later stages
Sign/symptoms:
- Extensive pruritus
- Fatigue
- Elevated cholestatic parameters (bilirubin, alkaline phosphate, gamma-glutamyl transferase)
- Normal transaminase
Symptoms of:
1. Cholestasis (jaundice, pale stools, dark urine, pruritus, and symptoms of fat malabsorption (e.g., steatorrhea, weight loss)
Investigation:
- Elevated conjugated bilirubin
- Elevated gamma-GT
- Elevated alkaline phosphatase (
- Normal Transaminase (ALT & AST)
Diagnosis:
- Positive Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA)
- Positive Anti-nuclear antibody (ANA)
Treatment:
1st line: Ursodeoxycholic acid (bile acid) : slow down disease progression/ relief from itching
2nd line: obeticholic acid: slow down disease progression, but has more adverse effects
Hepatitis A
Def:
1. Acute viral hepatitis, caused by Hepatitis A virus (HAV)
2. Transmitted via oral-fecal route, by ingestion of raw shellfish
3. Acute liver inflammation
4. Acute Infection (within a week) (fever, elevated transaminase & unconjugated bilirubin)
5
Signs/symptoms:
- Stomach flu (prodormal phase)
- Scleral icterus + dark urine + pale stool (signs of cholestasis)
- Fever
- Elevated unconjugated bilirubin
- Elevated transaminase
Diagnosed:
1. Anti-HAV IgM
Note:
If Anti-HAV IgG is detected = former infection or past vaccination against HAV
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
Def:
- Progressive inflammation of the intrahepatic & extrahepatic bile ducts
- Autoimmune disease
- Associated with ulcerative colitis (IBD)
Signs:
- Asymptomatic
- Later stage (cholestasis & cirrhosis)
- Elevated alkaline phosphatase
Diagnosis:
1. P-ANCA
Signs of cholestasis:
- Jaundice
- Dark urine
- Pale stool
- Nausea
- Pruritus
- Fatigue
- Abdominal pain
Staphylococcus aureus
- Common cause of food poisoning within 1-8 hours of eating (eggs, mayonnaise, diary products, coleslaw)
- Signs: N/V & abdominal pain & no fever & no diarrhea
- Resolved 24-48 hours with no antibiotics
Campylobacter jejuni
- Common cause of bacterial diarrhea (in the USA)
- Commonly affects children & leads to bloody diarrhea
- Transmitted by food or contact animals (puppies)
- Incubation period = 2 days
Bacillus cereus
- Heated rice is common source of infection
- Pathogen is heat-stable & produce enterotoxin 1 (emetic form)
- N/V occurs within 30 min-6 hours after ingestion
Yersinia enterocolitica
- Common cause of inflammatory diarrhea ( maybe bloody in severe cases)
- After ingestion of contaminated milk or pork
- Causes N/V & abdominal pain ( RLQ = mimic appendicitis = psuedoappendicitis)
- Incubation period = 2 days
E.Coli (enterohemorrhagic) (EHEC)
- Common cause of bloody diarrhea due to verotoxin/ shiga-like toxin
- N/V
- Affects newborn, healthy adults, & elderly
- Ingestion of contaminated food ( raw beef, vegetable, milk)
- Incubation period = 2-10 days
- If toxin becomes systemic = hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) occurs
Entamoeba histolytica
- Causes intestinal amebiasis (loose stools containing mucus & bright red blood, painful defecation, abdominal pain, cramps, anorexia, fever)
- Long incubation period = 1-4 weeks
Salmonella enteritidis
- Causes high-grade fever, severe vomiting & inflammatory (watery-bloody) diarrhea
- Ingestion of contaminated food ( poultry, poorly pasteurized eggs, milk)
- Incubation period = 6-48 hours
Enterotoxigenic E.coli (ETEC)
- Common cause of traveller diarrhea
- Produce heat-liable & heat-stable enterotoxin
- Causes diffused watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, N/V
- Incubation period = 9 hr-3 days
Shigella dysenteriae
- Enters the GI tract, leading to inflammation, mucosal damage, & bloody diarrhea
- Incubation period = 1-3 days
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
- Causes food-brone illness
- Occurs 16-72 hours after eating contaminated seafood
- Common in japan
Amebias
- Caused by protozoan entamoeba histolytica
- Occurs via fecal-oral route (via contaminated water) in endemic region ( Mexico, southeast Asia, India)
- Lead to: intestinal disease (bloody diarrhea) & extra-intestinal disease (amebic liver abscess; shows leukocytosis without eosinophilia, transaminitis, & elevated alkaline phosphatase )
- Incubation period = 1-4 weeks, but can take weeks-years for extra-intestinal disease to manifest
Hepatic hydated cyst
Signs:
- RUQ pain (no fever)
- Pruritus
- Urticaria
- +/- anaphylaxis (only if cyst leaks or rupture)
Diagnosis:
1. Ultrasonography shows daughter cysts +/- echogenic hydatid sand within the main cyst.
Liver hemangioma
- Most common benign lesion of the liver
- Asymptomatic
- Seen in women ( 30-50 yrs)
- Hyper-echoic on Ultrasonography
- Large hemangioma can lead to abdominal discomfort, Nausea, early satiety
Pyogenic liver abscess
- Common in (> 50) years patients
- Patient have underlying bowel disease, intra-abdominal infection +/- history of recent surgery.
Signs:
- RUQ pain
- Fever
- N/V
- Leukocytosis
- Focal hypo-echoic lesion (in the right lobe of liver)
Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Usually occurs in patient with chronic liver disease (cirrhosis, hepatitis B or C, hemochromatosis, alcoholic cirrhosis, & non-alcoholic fatty liver disease)
- Shows hypo-echoic lesion on US
- Associated with RUQ pain
Liver cirrhosis
Sign:
- Jaundice
- Weight loss
- Splenomegaly
Abdominal CT scan with contrast
To diagnose:
1. Abdominal aneurysm
2. Acute appendicitis
Abdominal tumor
IV octreotide
- Bleeding secondary to esophageal varices, complication of liver cirrhosis (can cause tarry stool)
Diagnostic laparoscopy
- Indicated for unexplained abdominal pain
Colonoscopy
- Diagnose Lower GI bleeding & screen for colorectal cancer ( sign: hematochezia)
Flexible sigmoidoscopy
- Screen for colorectal cancer & lower GI bleeding
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (ECG)
- Indicated for Upper GI bleed
- Hemostatic intervention (cauterization, epinephrine injection)
- Severe hemorrhagic secondary to PUD = IV PPI &blood transfusions
UGI Bleed
Tarry bowel movements and abdominal pain are consistent with upper GI bleeding (UGIB), likely arising as a complication of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) from NSAID use. Hypotension and tachycardia indicate the development of hypovolemic shock.
Liver abscess
This patient’s right upper quadrant (RUQ) abdominal pain and fever in combination with a hypoechoic lesion in the right hepatic lobe are suggestive of a liver abscess.
Iatrogenic esophageal perforation
patient presents with chest pain, tachycardia, tachypnea, and crepitus over the chest (mediastinal emphysema) one day after an endoscopic procedure.
Metronidazole (or tinidazole)
- Metronidazole (or tinidazole) is considered the first-line treatment to eradicate invasive trophozoites in patients with symptomatic intestinal amebiasis (amebic dysentery) and extraintestinal amebiasis (e.g., amebic liver abscess). Following treatment with metronidazole or tinidazole, patients should also receive an intraluminal amebicide (e.g., paromomycin) to eradicate intestinal cysts and prevent relapse.
In travelers with asymptomatic infection, treatment with luminal agents is usually sufficient. Individuals from endemic areas with asymptomatic infection do not require treatment
- Metronidazole is indicated for giardiasis and is common in Southeast Asia. However, the incubation period is 7–14 days.
Erythromycin
Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic that may be considered for the treatment of fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter jejuni. Infections with Campylobacter cause inflammatory diarrhea with blood-tinged stools and fever.
Iron supplementation
Iron supplementation can result in dark stools, which may be mistaken for melena. Melena (black, tarry stools) occurs as a result of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Since this patient has stools that are blood-tinged rather than tar-like, the site of blood loss is most likely the lower GI tract.
Albendazole
Albendazole is used to treat nematode infections and certain cestode infections (e.g., cysticercosis, echinococcosis). Although patients with intestinal helminthic infections can present with abdominal pain and/or blood in stools. Albendazole is not effective against protozoa such as Entamoeba histolytica.
Praziquantel
Praziquantel is used to treat most trematode infections (e.g., schistosomiasis, clonorchiasis) and certain cestode infections (e.g., taeniasis). Intestinal taeniasis, clonorchiasis, and certain forms of schistosomiasis (Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mansoni) are diagnosed by the presence of eggs in feces.
Doxycycline
Doxycycline is the treatment of choice for diarrhea due to cholera. However, patients with cholera have frequent, voluminous “rice water” stools, are often severely dehydrated, and are usually febrile.
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX)
- TMP-SMX is not the treatment of choice for intestinal amebiasis. Instead, it is used in the treatment of diarrhea due to cyclosporiasis. Diarrhea in patients with cyclosporiasis is typically watery and nonbloody, and stool microscopy reveals acid-fast oocysts instead of hematogenous trophozoites.
- TMP-SMX is used to treat Whipple’s disease, which has a highly variable presentation but commonly manifests with diarrhea and gastrointestinal symptoms. Whipple’s disease, however, typically involves extraintestinal symptoms such as arthritis and is not associated with a positive IgA TTGA.
Pilonidal sinus surgery
Def:
- A small hole or tunnel in the skin at the top of the buttocks (where they divide).
- Does not cause symptoms (maybe, discomfort and irritation around the tailbone), but can lead to infection (infection—> abscess —> draining pus through the sinus) if left untreated.
- The abscess leads to pain, foul smell, & drainage
- Treatment: abscess drainage or sinus removal.
Anal fissure
Def:
1. A small tear in the mucosa that lines the anus.
Sign/symptoms:
- Extreme pain & discomfort around the anus
- Inability to sit
- Inability to defecate due to extreme pain
Initial treatment:
(purpose: reduce anal sphincter tone & promote mucosal healing, by increasing blood flow to the anal mucosa)
1. Sitz bath
2. Topical therapy with calcium channel blockers (nifedipine, diltiazem)
Refractory to conservative therapy:
- Botulinum toxin injection (relaxes the hypertonic anal sphincter, not a first line treatment)
Anal fistula
Def:
- Abnormal tunnel under the skin that connects the anal canal in the colon to the skin of the buttocks.
- Can be caused after a surgery or by IBD ( Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis)
Signs:
- Bloody stool
- Rectal pain
- Malodorous perianal discharge
Treatment:
1. Tract curettage ( also, used in treatment of pilonidal disease and hidradenitis suppurativa )
Colorectal cancer
Sign/symptoms:
- Bloody stool
- Weight loss
- Constipation
- Reduction in stool caliber
Treatment:
1. Colonoscopy ( every 10 years, if family history is positive, or 10 years before the age of diagnosis of the fist relative)
Anorectal abscess
Def:
1. Pus-filled cavity developed after obstruction & bacterial overgrowth.
Sign/symptoms:
- Pain on defecation
- No bloody stool
- Purulent perianal discharge
Complication: can develop into anal fistula (chronic manifistation)
Treatment:
1. Combination of Metronidazole & ciprofloxacin
Abdominal ultrasound
- Used for diagnosis of appendicitis in children & pregnant women
Appendicitis
Sign/symptoms:
- Low-grade fever
- Elevated WBC ( leukocytosis)
- Migrating abdominal pain
- RLQ pain- tenderness
- Rebound pain
Finding on US:
- Non-compressible & distended appendix (> 6-8 mm)
- Fluid around the appendix
- Target sign
Volvulus
Def:
1. Twisting of an intraperitoneal loop of intestine around its mesentery.
Sign/symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain & distention
- Bowel obstruction (abdominal tenderness)
- Bloody stool in infant
- Hemodynamic instability
Diagnosis:
1. Upper GI series
Treatment:
1. Surgery