GI diseases: Diarrhoeal disease + quiz

Question 1

When do you have diarrhoeal disease? When not?

Answer 1

Three or more loose or liquid stools per day (or more frequent passage than is normal or the individual)
- Frequent passing of formed stools is not diarrhoea, nor is the passing of loose, “pasty” stools by breastfed babies

Question 2

By what is diarrhoea usually caused? How can you get it?

Answer 2

• Usually symptom of infection, can be caused by variety of bacterial, viral, parasitic organisms
• Infection is spread through contaminated food or drinking-water, or from person-to-person as a result of poor hygiene

Question 3

What three clinical types of diarrhoea are there?

Answer 3

1. Acute watery diarrhoea – lasts several hours or days, and includes cholera
2. Acute bloody diarrhoea – also called dysentery
3. Persistent diarrhoea – lasts 14 days or longer

Question 4

What are the symptoms of diarrhoea?

Answer 4

• Of course, having very watery stools
• Dehydration (water + electrolytes are lost: sodium, chloride, potassium, bicarbonate, and not replaced.)

Question 5

What degrees of dehydration are there?

Answer 5

• No dehydration (not enough signs to classify as some or severe dehydration).
• Some dehydration (two or more of the following signs): restlessness, irritability, sunken eyes, drinks eagerly, thirsty
• Severe dehydration (at least two of the following signs): lethargy/unconsciousness, sunken
  eyes, unable to drink or drink poorly, skin pinch goes back very slowly ( ≥2 seconds)

Question 6

Who is at risk for diarrhoea?

Answer 6

• Second leading cause of death in children < 5
• Malnourished and impaired immunity children
• People with HIV

Question 7

Prevention of diarrhoea?

Answer 7

Prevention:
- Safe drinking water
- Improved sanitation
- Hand washing with soap

Question 8

Treatment of diarrhea?

Answer 8

• ORS
• Zinc tablets (shortens diarrhoea duration, improves outcomes)

Question 9

What is the burden of diarrhoeal disease?

Answer 9

• 1.6 million deaths occur each year globally due to diarrhea
  -> highest-burden in developing countries
  -> Globally, 15% of all under-five deaths

Question 10

 A person with celiac disease needs to avoid foods that contain X, like wheat, barley and rye

Answer 10

gluten

Question 11

Who is most at risk for having CD?

A) 25-year-old female smokers whose mother has crohn’s disease
B) 35-yo smoker exposed to E.Coli
C) young boy who has a weak immune system
D) teenage girl who does not eat a well-balanced diet

Answer 11

A

Question 12

Immune system stimulants would/ would not be included in a plan to treat and manage Crohn’s disease

Answer 12

would not

Question 13

 Constipation is/is not a common symptom of Crohn’s disease

Answer 13

is not

Question 14

 An endoscopic examination of a patient reveals patchy/skip lesions of inflammation throughout the GI tract. Based on this, X is the most likely diagnosis

Answer 14

Crohn’s disease

Question 15

 Malabsorption = major concern with x disease

Answer 15

coeliac

Question 16

Antacids, medications to neutralize acid, would/would not be helpful in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Answer 16

would not: probable cause is the gut-brain axis or we are not sure yet

Question 17

 Infectious agents = common cause of X

Answer 17

diarrhoea

Question 18

 Main difference between Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD) is that in UC, …

Answer 18

only colon is affected