GI Flashcards
What are the 3 steps of alcoholic liver disease?
Alcohol related fatty liver
alcoholic hepatitis
Cirrhosis
What is the recommended alcohol consumption in a week?
14 units a week spread over 3 days. No more than 5 units in a day
What is the screening tool for harmful alcohol use and what are the questions?
CAGE questionaire
C- have you ever thought about cutting down?
A- do you get annoyed when other people comment on your drinking?
G- do you ever feel guilty about your drinking?
E- eye-opener. Ever drink in the morning to help with your hangover/ nerves
AUDIT questionnaire is a better way of screening but is longer
What do blood tests show in alcohol abuse?
FBC- raised MCV
LFTs- ALT and AST raised. Gamma GT is escpecially high. Low albumin due to reduced synthetic function of the liver
What can be seen on ultrasound of a fatty liver?
Increased echogenicity
Which scan is used to assess cirrhosis?
Fibroscan
Which test is used to confirm alcohol related liver changes?
Biopsy
What is the timeline of symptoms in alcohol withdrawal?
6-12 hours: tremor, sweating, headache, craving, anxiety
12-24 hours: hallucinations
24-48 hours: seizures
24-72 hours: delirium tremens
What are the symptoms of delirium tremens?
Acute confusion
Severe agitation
Delusions and hallucinations
Tremor
Tachycardia
Hyperthermia
Which tool can be used to score patients withdrawing from alcohol?
CIWA-Ar
How is alcohol withdrawal managed?
Chlordiazepoxide
Pabrinex
What causes korsakoffs syndrome?
Thiamine deficiency
What is the triad of symptoms found in wernicke’s encephalopathy
Confusion
Oculomotor disturbances
Ataxia
What are the features of korsakoff’s syndrome?
Memory impairment
Behavioural changes
What are the 4 most common causes of liver cirrhosis?
Alcoholic liver disease
Non-alcoholic liver disease
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
What is seen on bloods in someone who has liver cirrhosis?
LFTs are often normal but in decompensated cirrhosis, all LFTs are deranged
Albumin and PT are useful markers of synthetic function. Will be lower in worse disease
Hyponatraemia indicates fluid retention in severe disease
Alpha-fetoprotein is a marker for HCC and should be checked every 6 months
What is the first line test for assessing fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?
ELF blood test (enhanced liver fibrosis)
What is seen on ultrasound of a cirrhotic liver?
Nodularity of the surface
Corkscrew appearance of the arteries
How is cirrhosis scored?
using the child-pugh socre. The minimum score is 5 and the max is 15
Where do varices usually occur?
Gastro-oesophageal junction
Ileocaecal junction
Rectum
anterior abdominal wall
How can varices be managed?
propanolol reduces portal hypertension
Elastic band ligation
Injection of sclerosant
Transjugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt
how can bleeding oesophageal varices be managed?
Vasopressin analogues
Correct coagulopathy with vitamin K and fresh frozen plasma
Urgent endoscopy
How does spontaneous bacterial peritonitis present?
asymptomatic
Fever
Abdominal pain
derranged bloods
Ileus
Hypotension
What is the management of Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis?
IV cephalosporins such as cefotaxime
What are the 4 stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?
- NAFLD
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
- Fibrosis
- Cirrhosis
What is the test which can confirm NAFLD?
Ultrasound
What are the first and second line recommended investigations for assessing fibrosis?
Enhanced liver fibrosis blood test (ELF test)
NAFLD fibrosis score
What is the management of NAFLD?
Weight loss
Exercise
Stop smoking
Control of diabetes
Avoid alcohol
What are the symptoms of hepatitis?
Abdominal pain
Fatigue
Itching
Muscle and joint aches
Nausea and vomiting
Jaundice
Fever (if viral)
What do the LFTs look like in hepatitis?
Raised transaminases (AST/ALT) with proportionally less of a raise in ALP
What type of virus is hepatitis A?
RNA
How is hepatitis A transmitted?
Faeco-oral route
What type of virus is hepatitis B?
DNA virus
What does a high number or surface antigen (HBsAg) imply?
Active infection
What does a high level of E-antigen (HBeAg) suggest?
Marker of viral replication and implies high infectivity
What do Anti-HBc suggest
Implies past or current infection
What does Anti-HBs suggest
implies immunity (exposure or immunisation)
What type of virus is Hepatitis C?
RNA
How is hepatitis C screened for?
Hep C antibody is the screening test
Hep C RNA testing is used to confirm the diagnosis of hep C
What kind of virus is hepatitis D?
RNA
What type of virus is hepatitis E?
RNA
Which hepatitis can only survive in co-infection with hepatitististis B?
D
Which age group does type 1 autoimmune hepatitis affect?
Adults
Which age group does type 2 autoimmune hepatitis affect?
Children (el nino)
What is the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis?
Prednisolone
What is haemochromatosis?
An iron storage disorder which results in excessive total body iron and deposition of iron in tissues
What inheritance pattern is haemochromatosis?
Autosomal recessive
When does haemochromatosis present?
Typically after the age of 40 when the iron load becomes symptomatic. Presents later in females due to menstruation
What are the symptoms of haemochromatosis?
Memory and mood disturbance
Hair loss
Chronic tiredness
Skin pigmentation (bronze)
Erectile dysfunction/ ammenorrhea
Joint pain
How is haemochromatosis diagnosed?
Serum ferritin. This is an acute phase reactant so a serum transferritin should also be performed to see if there is iron overload (high) or infection/ NAFLD (low)
Liver biopsy with Perl’s stain
CT abdo
MRI
What are the complications of haematochromatosis?
Cardiomyopathy (iron deposits in the heart)
HCC/liver cirrhosis
Hypothyroidism
Arthropathy
What is the management of haemochromatosis?
Venesection
Monitoring serum ferritin
Desferrioxamine may be used second line
Avoid alcohol
Genetic counselling
What is wilson’s disease?
Excessive accumulation of copper in the body
What is the genetic inheritance of wilson’s disease?
Autosomal recessive
What is the presentation of wilsons disease?
Dysarthria, dystonia, parkinsonism - basal ganglia degenration
Psychosis or depression
Kayser-fleischer rings in the cornea
Liver cirrhosis
Haemolytic anaemia
Osteopenia
How is Wilson’s disease diagnosed?
Serum caeruloplasmin (low is suggestive of Wilson’s)
Liver biopsy is the gold standard
24 hour urine copper assay
What is the management of Wilson’s disease?
Penicillamine
What is the pathophysiology of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency?
Elastase is an enzyme which is secreted by neutrophils and this enzyme digests connective tissues. Alpha-1-antitrypsin is mainly produced in the liver and it inhibits the neutrophil elastase enzyme. Without this there is liver cirrhosis, bronchiectasis and emphysema
What are the features of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency?
Liver cirrhosis after 50 years old
Bronchiectasis and emphysema after 30 years old
How is alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency diagnosed?
Low serum alpha-1-antitrypsin
Liver biopsy shows cirrhosis and acid-schiff-positive staining globules
What is the management of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency?
Stop smoking
Symptomatic management
Organ transplant
What is primary biliary cirrhosis?
Immune system attacks the small bile ducts within the liver. Causes cholestasis which leads to increased back pressure, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver failure
What is the presentation of primary biliary cirrhosis?
Fatigue
Pruritis
GI pain
Jaundice
Pale stools
Xanthoma
How is primary biliary cirrhosis diagnosed?
ALP is raised
Anti-mitochrondrial antibodies raised
Liver biopsy
What is the management of primary biliary cirrhosis?
Urseodeoxycholic acid (reduces GI uptake of cholesterol)
Colestyramine prevents bile acid sequestration in the gut
What is primary sclerosing cholangitis?
Intrahepatic or extrahepatic ducts become strictured or fibrotic which leads to chronic bile obstruction
Which other disease is primary sclerosing cholangitis strongly associated with?
Ulcerative colitis
What is the presentation of primary sclerosing cholangitis?
Jaundice
Chronic RUQ pain
Pruritis
Fatigue
Hepatomegaly
How is primary sclerosing cholangitis diagnosed?
Gold standard is an MRCP
What is the management of primary sclerosing cholangitis?
Liver transplant (curative)
Colestyramine
ERCP
What are the main risk factors for HCC?
Viral hepatitis (B and C)
Alcohol
NAFLD
Which cancer is primary sclerosing cholangitis related to?
Cholangiocarcinoma
What is the tumour marker for HCC?
Alpha-fetoprotein
What is the tumour marker for cholangiocarcinoma?
CA19-9
What is the lining of the oesophagus?
Squamous epithelial lining
What is the lining of the stomach?
Columnar epithelia lining
What is the presentation of GORD?
Heartburn
Acid regurg
Retrosternal or epigastric pain
Bloating
Nocturnal cough
Hoarse voice