GI Flashcards
Recommended Alcohol Consumption
No more than 14 units per week , spaced evenly over 3 or more days with no more than 5 units in a day
CAGE Questioning for alchoholic?
Cut down (Ever thought you should?)
Annoyed (Annoyed by others commenting on your drinking)
Guilty (Guilty about drinking)
Eye Opener (Morning drink to help hangover/nerves)
Signs of Liver Disease?
Jaundice
Hepatomegally
Spider Naevi
Palmar Erytema
Gyencomastia
Brusing (Adbnormal Clotting)
Ascites
Caput Medusae
Asterixis
Progression of alchohol withdrawl?
Management?
Progression
- 6-12 hours: tremor, sweating, headache, craving and anxiety
- 12-24 hours: hallucinations
- 24-48 hours: Seizures
- 24-72 hours: Delirium tremens (Mortality 35%. Due to chronically upregulated GABA system and downregulated Glutamate (NMDA) => extreme excitability of the brain
Management
- Chlordiazepoxide (benzo)
- Diazepam (less common)
- IV vitamin B (thiamine) followed with low dose oral to prevent Wernike-Korsakoff
Features of Werkicke-Korsakoff?
Wernikes’ Encephlopathy
- COnfusion
- Occulomotor
- Ataxia
Korsakoff’s Syndrome
- Memory impairment (retrograde and anterograde)
- Behaviorial changes
Causes of Liver Chirosis
Common
- Alcoholic LIver DSiease
- Non-Alchoholic Fatty liver diseae
- Hep B
- Hep C
Less common:
- Autoimuine Heaptiotis
- PBC
- Heamachhromatosis
- Wilsons
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Cystif FIbrosis
- Drugs (Ambiodarone, methotraxatre, sodium valproate)
Investigations for Liver Chirosis?
Bloods
* Albumin/Prothrombin times derranges
* Hyponatremia due to fluid retention
* Urea/Creatinine in hepatorenal syndrome
* Alphafetoprotein (Tumor marker for heppatocellular carciinoma checked every 6 month sin those w/ chirosis)
Ultrasound
- Nodularity
- Corkscrew Apearance
- Enlarged portal veins
- Ascites
- Splenomegally
Fibroscan (Checks elasticity of the liver w. high frequency sounds waves)
Endoscopy (espogeal Varcies)
MRI/CT Scan (Malignancy)
Biopsy (Confirmatory of Chirosis)
Classification system for Chirosis?
Child-Pugh Score
How does chirossis lead to malnutrition/muscle wasting?
Increased use of muscle tissue as fuel and reduction in protein available in body for muscle growth. Also disrupts ability of liver to store glucose as glycogen and release when requirted => body uses muscle as fuel
Common locations for varices?
Gastroesophogeal junction
Illeocecal junction
Rectum
Umbilical Vein (caput Medusae)
Treatment of stable varices?
Proplanolol
Elastic band ligation
Transjugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS): IR sends wire down jugular vein into liver via hepatic vein, make a connection between hepatic vein and portal vein and place a stent. Allows blood to flow directly from portatl vein to hepatic relieveing pressur ein the portal system and thus reducing varcieal formation. Used if endoscopic treatments dail or uncontrolled bleeding varices
Treatment of bleeding esophogeal varices?
Resucitation
- Vasopressin Analogues (Terlipressin) => vascoconstriction
- Coagulopathy correction (Vitamin K + FFP)
- Prophylactic Broad Spectrum Antibiotics
Urgent Endoscopy
- Injection of sclerosant into varices can be used to cause inflamatory obliteration of teh vessel
- Elasttic band ligation
Sengstaken-Blakemore Tube (Inflatable tube to tamponade bleeding esophogeal varices when endoscopy fails)
Management of Ascites?
Low sodium diet
Anti-aldosterone diuretics (Spirolactone)
Parecentesis
Prophylactic antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin) in those w/ less than 15g/L protien in ascitic fluid
Consider TIPS in refractory ascites (IR sends wire down jugular vein into liver via hepatic vein, make a connection between hepatic vein and portal vein and place a stent. Allows blood to flow directly from portatl vein to hepatic relieveing pressur ein the portal system and thus reducing varcieal formation)
What is spontaneous bacterial periotnitis secondary to?
Most common organisms?
Managment?
10% of pts w/ ascited secondary to chirosis develop SBP
Most commonly:
- E. Coli
- Klebsialla
- Gram Postive Cocci (Staph/Enterococcus)
Management: Cefotaxime
Pathophysiology/Management of Hepatorenal syndrome?
Management?
Pathophysiology: Occurs in liver chirosis. Hypertension in portal sytem => stretching of portal vessels => loss of blood volume in other areas of circulation including kidneys => renin-andiotensin system => renal vasoconstriction which combined with low circualtion leads to starvation of blood to kidneys
Fatal within a week unless liver transplant performed!!
Pathophysiology of Hepatic Encephalopathy?
Management?
Ammonia is produced by intestinal bacteria and absorbed by gut. Build up occurs in HE for two reasons:
- Functional impairment of liver cells prevent metabolism of ammonia
- Collateral vessel formation between portal and systemic circualtions mean ammonia byupasses the liver altogether
Preciptating Factors:
- Constipation
- Infection
- GI Bleeding
- High protein diet
- Sedatives
Managmeent:
- laxatives clear amonia from gut before it is absorbed (Lacutlose)
- antibiotics reduced # of ammonia producing gut bacteria (Rifaximin used as poorly absorbed so remains in GI tract)
Investigating Abnormal Liver Function Tests?
Ultrasound Liver
Enhances liver fibrosis (ELF) Blood test (First line for assesing liver fibrosis)
Fibroscan
Hep B/C Serology
Autoantibodies (Autoimmune hepatitits, PBC, PSC)
Ceroplasmin (WIlson’s Disease)
Alpha 1 antitryupsin levels
Ferritin/Transferrin Saturation (Heriditary Hemochromatosis)
Causes of Hepatitis?
Alchoholic Hepatitis
Non-Alchoholic Fatty liver dsiease
Viral Hepatitis
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Drug Induced Hepatitis (Parecetamol Overdose)
Typical LFT derrangements in Hepatitis?
Hepatitic Picture: High Transaminases (AST/ALT) w/ less of a rise in ALP
Most common viral hepatitis worldwide?
Hep A
Hepatitis A
- RNA/DNA?
- Transmission?
- Pathology?
- Resolution?
RNA Virus
Fecal/Oral Route
Causes cholestasis => Dark urine, pale stools, moderate hepatomegaly
Resolved without treatment in 1-3 months
Hepatitis B
- RNA/DNA?
- Transmission?
- Resolution?
- Screening?
DNA Virus
Contact w/ blood/bodily fluids (Verticle Transmission mother to child)
Most spontaneouslyt recover, 10-15% go on to become chronic hepatitis in which the viral DNA is integrated into pts. DNA
When screening test HBcAb (previous infection) and HBsAg (active Infection). If positive then do further testing for HBeAg and viral load (HBV DNA)
- HBsAg- active infection
- HBeAg- viral replicaiton (high infectivity)
- HBcAb- IgM high= ACTIVE, IgM low= CHRONIC; IgG = PAST (if HBsAg Negative)
- HBsAb- Vaccination or Past/Current Infection
- HBV DNA- Viral Load
Hepatitis C
- RNA/DNA?
- Transmission?
- Complications?
- Resolution?
RNA Virus
Spread by blood/bosdily fluids (no Vaccine avialable). Curable with direct acting anti-virals
Complications (Liver Chirossis, Hepatocellular Carcinoma)
1/4 recover spontaenously, rest becomes chronic
Autoimmune Hepatitis
- Types?
- Antibodies?
- Treatment?
Type 1 (Women in late 40’s/50’s with fatigue/liver disease)
- ANA
- Anti-Actin
- Anti-SLA/LP
Type 2 ( Teenage years acute presentation w/high transaminases and jaundice)
- Anti-LKM1
- anti-LC1
Treatment:
- High dose prednisolne (Tapering)
- Azathioprine (Life-Long)