Gastrointestinal System Flashcards
Primary endocrine and exocrine products of the salivary glands
Salivary amylase
Primary endocrine and exocrine products of the stomach
Pepsin, HCl, Gastrin, Intrinsic factor
Primary endocrine and exocrine products of the small intestine
Enterokinase, CCK, secretin
Forms of disease which affect the GI system
Infections, circulatory diseases, multifactorial diseases, peptic ulcers, inflammation, obstruction, neoplasm
Stomatitis
Inflammation of the mouth. Can be caused by herpes, thrush, cancer or canker sores.
Oral cancer
Usually squamous cell carcinomas. Usually related to tobacco. Can present as leukoplakia, erythroplakia, ulcer, crater or nodule.
Salivary gland disease
Also called sialodenitis. Can be infectious or autoimmune in nature.
Presentation of salivary gland disease
Swelling of the glands or dry mouth.
Signs and symptoms of esophageal disease
Dysphagia, esophageal pain, aspiration or regurgitation.
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing
Types of esophageal disease
Developmental abnormalities, esophagitis, hernia, achalasia, varices, GERD
Esophageal varices
Varicose veins in the esophagus. Due to portal vein hypertension.
Causes of esophagitis
Gastric juice, infections or chemical irritants.
GERD
Digestive disorder that affects the lower esophageal sphincter. It causes heart burn, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, regurgitation and a lump in the throat.
Carcinoma of the esophagus
Makes up 4% of all cancers. Higher incidence in Asia and Africa. Correlates to alcohol and tobacco use. More common in men.
Signs and symptoms of carcinoma of the esophagus
Dysphagia, pain, bleeding, bad breath.
Melena
Black feces. Caused by blood.
Symptoms of stomach and small intestine disease
Pain in midline and upper abdomen, vomiting, bleeding, indigestion, systemic consequences of the poor digestion and pervasive blood loss.
Congenital stenosis of the pylorus
The pyloric sphincter is congenitally tight. Must be surgically corrected.
Gastritis
Inflammation of the stomach. Can be acute or chronic.
Acute gastritis
Caused by stress, shock, food, exogenous chemicals and drugs. Causes erosions and ulcerations in the mucosa.
Causes of chronic gastritis
Autoimmune or helicobacter pylori
Peptic ulcer causes
HCL and pepsin, mucosal barrier defects, NSAIDS, smoking, helicobacter pylori
Signs and symptoms of peptic ulcers
Pain after eating or at night. Pain is temporarily relieved by alkaline agents. Causes nausea, melena, iron deficiency, weight loss.
Possible complications of peptic ulcers
Anemia due to blood loss, pancreatitis, perforation, excessive scarring.
Gastric tumours
Can be benign polyps, benign stromal tumours or malignant adenocarcinoma or lymphoma
Carcinoma of the stomach
Linked to nitrosamines and helicobacter pylori. More common in Japan and Chile.
Types of intestinal disease
Congenital, diverticulitis, diverticulosis, vascular disorders, EBD, infections, malabsorption syndrome and neoplasms
Diverticulitis
Inflammation and infection of a diverticulum.
Diverticulosis
Disease characterized by the formation of diverticulum. These are pouches within the intestinal wall.
Hemmorhoids
Varicositis of the anal and perianal region
Crohn’s disease
Chronic inflammation of the GI tract. Most often involves the terminal ileum and colon. Develops segmentally.
Angiodysplagia
Localized vascular lesion of the colon. Causes bleeding.
Ischemic bowel disease
Disorders that decrease blood flow to the intestines. Can be caused by emboli or artherosclerosis.
Inflammatory bowel diseases
Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Characterized by recurrent inflammation of the intestines.
Symptoms of ulcerative colitis
Diarrhea, rectal bleeding and pain.
Ulcerative colitis
Intestinal inflammation that most often involves the large intestine and appendix. Is more diffuse, but typically starts at the rectum and spreads proximally.
Symptoms of Crohn’s disease
Diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, constipation due to thickened intestines, vitamin deficiency
Peak age for inflammatory bowel disease
15-25
Identifying features of Crohn’s disease
It is segmental and includes the ileum. It can be transmural and cause granulomas, fistulas and cancer.
Identifying features of ulcerative colitis
The inflammation is diffuse, it only affects the colon, it causes megacolon and cancer.
Types of GI infections
Viral and bacterial
Infectious diseases of the small intestine
E coli, cholera, giardia, rotavirus
Infectious disease of the large intestine
E coli, shigella, norwalk, entamoeba
Giardia lamblia
A protozoal infection that comes from infected water.
Diarrhea with origins in the small intestine
Has a large volume with a watery appearance. Doesn’t usually contain blood.
Diarrhea with origins in the large intestine
Has a smaller volume with a mucoid appearance. Often contains blood.
Acute appendicitis
Caused by bacteria becoming entrapped in the appendix, then multiplies and engorges the appendix.
Symptoms of acute appendicitis
Fever, abdominal pain that is strongest in the lower right quadrant.
Peritonitis
Inflammation of the peritoneal lining of the abdominal cavity. Caused primarily by enteric bacteria.
