GI Conditions Flashcards
What micro-organisms can cause GI infections?
Viruses, Bacteria, Parasites
What are the common symptoms of a GI infection?
Diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever
Name two type of viral GI infections and how they are managed
Rotavirus and norovirus
- water and electrolyte replacement
- anti-infective agents
- vaccine
How do bacteria cause damage in the GI?
- mucosal adherence
- mucosal invasion
- toxin production
How are bacteria GI infections managed?
- antibiotics
- fluid and electrolyte balance
What is a parasite and name 2 types which cause GI infection.
Type of protozoa which lives in another organism
- Amoebiasis
- Giadiasis
What are the symptoms and management of a parasitic GI infection?
Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, malabsorption, headaches
Test stools for present of parasite
Anti-protozoal medications
Name 2 types of benign oesophageal tumours.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (tumour of the connective tissue anywhere along the GI tract) Gastric polyp (abnormal growth of tissue on the mucosal membrane)
What are the 2 categories of benign small intestine tumours?
Lipoma = benign tumour of adipose tissue Adenoma = benign tumour of glandular/secretory tissue
What are some types of benign colonic tumours?
- Sporadic adenomas
- polyps
- sessile serrated adenoma (pre-malignant flat lesion)
- familial adenomatous polyposis (autosomal inherited condition polyp formation in the colon)
- MYH-associated polyposis (autosomal recessive condition causing polyps of the colorectum)
What are the symptoms of benign colonic tumours?
- rectal bleeding
- diarrhoea
How are benign colonic tumours managed?
- surveillence
- colonoscopy
- CT scan
- surgical removal
What is a hernia?
protrusion of an internal organ or part of one through a defect in the cavity wall into an abnormal position
What are the 4 types of hernias?
- irreducible = cannot be pushed back into its normal place
- obstructed = bowel contents unable to pass
- strangulated = ischaemia of an organ occurs
- incarcerated = hernia become trapped due to adhesions
What are the common locations of herniad
- inguinal (through the deep inguinal ring)
- femoral (through the femoral canal)
- epigastric (through the line alba)
- incisional (through an opening formed by surgery)
- obturator (through the obturator canal in the pelvis)
- hiatal (through the diaphragm)
What are the symptoms of a hernia?
- pain/discomfort
- bulge/lump
- weakness/pressure
- burning/aching
How are hernias diagnosed?
- physical examination
- endoscopy
- barium x-ray
How are hernias treated?
- surgery
- nothing if asymptomatic
What is mesenteric ischaemia?
=inadequate blood supply to the small intestine causes damage
can be acute or chronic
What are the causes of acute mesenteric ischaemia?
- thrombosis
- embolism
- trauma
- non-occulisive disease (e.g. vasoconstriction, heart disease)
What are the symptoms of acute mesenteric ischaemia?
- acute severe abdominal pain
- rapid hypovolaemia
- no/minimal abdominal signs
How is acute mesenteric ischaemia treated?
- immediate surgery
- IV fluids
- antibiotics
- arteriography
What causes chronic mesenteric ischaemia?
atheroma
What are the symptoms of chronic mesenteric ischaemia?
- severe post-prandial pain
- weight loss
- upper abdominal pain
How is chronic mesenteric ischaemia treated?
- surgery
- angioplasty
What is peritonitis?
infection of the peritoneum (lining of the abdominal cavity)
What are the causes of peritonitis?
- burst stomach ulcer
- burst appendix
- pancreatitis
- surgery
- cirrhosis
- perforated bowel
What are the symptoms of peritonitis?
- sudden and severe abdominal pain - if due to perforation
- slow onset pain - if due to inflammation
- bloating
- fever
- nausea/vomiting
How is peritonitis diagnoses?
- chest x-ray
- ultrasound/CT
- serum analysis
How is peritonitis managed?
- IV antibiotics
- surgery - peritoneal lavage
- treat underlying cause
What are the complication of peritonitis?
Septicaemia = severe infection in the blood
What is appendicitis?
lumen of the appendix becomes obstructed by a faecolith (hard mass of faeces), filarial worms of lymphoid hyperplasia causing inflammation
What are the complications of appendicitis?
- perforation
- ischaemia
- necrosis
- oedema
What are the symptoms of appendicitis?
- abdominal pain (centre of abdomen to right of iliac fossa)
- constipation
- nausea and vomiting
- anorexia
What are the signs of appendicitis?
- tachycardia
- fever
- tenderness
How is appendicitis diagnosed?
- CT scan
- blood tests
How is appendicitis treated?
- appendicectomy
- antibiotics
- laparoscopy
What is ischaemic colitis?
=inadequate blood supply causes inflammation and injury to the large intestine
What are the causes of ischaemia colitis?
- low blood flow in the inferior mesenteric artery
- atherosclerosis
- hypotension
- blood clot
- bowel obstruction
- surgery
- medication
What are the symptoms of ischaemic colitis?
- lower left sided abdominal pain
- bloody diarrhoea
- nausea
What are the complications of ischaemia colitis?
- bowel inflammation
- bowel obstruction
- bowel perforation
- tissue death
How is ischaemic colitis diagnosed?
- scan
- stool analysis
- colonoscopy
How is ischaemic colitis treated?
- antibiotics
- IV fluids
- treat cause
- surgery (remove dead tissue, bypass blocked artery, remove part of colon)