LO3 The Digestive System Flashcards
What is the role of the epiglottis?
to prevent food from flowing into the trachea
What is mastication?
chewing and breaking down food with the teeth and tongue
What is the name of when food becomes broken down and forms what?
becomes a bolus
How does the balus pass down the oesophagus?
The balus passes down the oesophagus in a wave like action by peristalsis (mechanical digestion)
What is the waste product of digestion?
Faeces that passes through the rectum and out of the anus
What is digestion?
the process of breaking down food into its component chemicals. Once food is broken down into its essential building blocks then our body is able to absorb these and use them to allow the body to function, grow and repair itself.
What is mechanical digestion?
Mechanical digestion is the physical breakdown of food
What is peristalsis?
A mechanical process, which is the movement of muscles in the oesophagus which pushes the bolus down the oesophagus and towards the stomach.
What are lipids?
molecules that are made up of fatty acids and glyercol, and are broken down by lipase.
What are the walls of the small intestine lined with?
villi
What blood vessels can be found in each of the villi in the small intestine?
Capillaries
What is the other structure within each villus and what does it do?
lacteal, it absorbs fats
What 3 food molecules is the small intestine responsible for absorbing?
lipids, proteins, carbohydrates
What does food become after it has been churned in the stomach?
chyme
What is the role of the villi?
absorbs nutrients in the bloodstream
How does the bolus pass down the oesphogaus?
in a wave like action
What do the pancreatic juices do during digestion?
They contain enzymes so they break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates and neutralises stomach acid
What is the role of bile?
- neutralises stomach acid
- helps break down fat
What does fat emulsification mean?
breaks down food so it’s easier for enzymes to break down
What is bolus?
the mass of chewed food at the moment of swallowing
What is chyme?
the mass of semi-food liquid once it passes from the stomach into the small intestine
What is the role of the salivary glands?
produce saliva which contains water to moisten and dissolve food, and enzymes (amylase) to start the digestion of carbohydrates. The bolus needs to be lubricated so that it will not damage the soft tissue of the oesophagus when it is passing through.
What are the functions of the stomach?
- produces stomach acid (hydrochloric) which will kill any harmful micro-organisms if they’ve been swalllowed
- there are enzymes in the stomach juices which begin the process of breaking down proteins
- muscles around the stomach help to move the food around, churning it so that it gets coated in the digestive juices
What is the oesophagus?
the muscular tube that carries the bolus of food from the back of the baccalaureate cavity to the stomach by involuntary smooth muscle contractions called peristalsis
Where is bile stored?
in the gall bladder
What is the function of the liver?
- produces bile which aids the digestion of fats, this is then sent to the gallbladder for storage until it is needed
What is the bile duct?
A tube that carries bile from the gall bladder to the small intestine. If it gets blocked with gall stones, it causes intense crippling pain and the gall bladder may have to be removed
What is function of the pancreas?
- produces enzymes in the form of pancreatic juices, to help digest food
- these enzymes are sent to the small intestine to finish of the process of chemical digestion.
- these juices are alkaline which neutralise the highly acid contents of the stomach coming into the small intestine.
- pancreas produces insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar levels
What is the pancreatic duct?
A tube that connects the pancreas with the small intestine by joining with the bile duct
What is the small intestine?
This is the organ where the final part of the digestion process occurs. Most of the chemical digestion of fats, carbohydrates and proteins happens in the small intestine, as well as the absorption of the nutrients into the blood.
What is the large intestine?
This is responsible for storing food waste that cannot be digested. The large intestine will reabsorb as much water as possible from this, and the remaining faeces are excreted.
How many glucose molecules are in one molecule of starch?
500 - 2million individual glucose molecules
Are carbohydrates absorbed into the bloodstream?
Yes
What are proteins broken down into?
proteins are broken down into amino acids, this is done by the enzyme, protease
What are lipids?
molecules that are made up of fatty acids and glycerol and are broken down by lipase
What are the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome?
- tiredness
- anaemia
- backache
- diarrhoea
- constipation
- bloating
What are the physiological causes of irritable bowel syndrome?
- linked to family history and stress
- may be triggered by certain foods
- Spasms in the intestines cause the food to pass too quickly or too slowly through the digestive system
What is the risk factor of irritable bowel syndrome?
Stress
- stress hormones affect the large intestine when your flight or right response kicks in
- when we’re acutely stressed our hormones divert blood supply to organs required for flight or fight, away from the digestion. Therefore the digestive blood supply is low so it becomes slow, leading to constipation
What does IBS put them at risk of developing other disorders?
- Anaemia - reduced iron absorption
- Scurvy - reduced vitamin C absorption, malnourishment
What are the symptoms of gallstones?
- pain in right upper abdomen
- nausea
- no symptoms when stones are small
- racing heartbeat
- sweating
- shivering
- yellow in the eyes or skin
What are the physiological causes of gallstones?
- build up of bilirubin (chemical in the blood) causes hard crystals to form in the bile
- imbalance of chemicals inside the gall bladder
- high cholesterol
- high bilirubin
- small crystals develop in bile
- crystals grow bigger
What are reasons for abdominal pain when having gallstones?
- inflammation of gall bladder
- build up of fluid/bile in gall bladder
- contraction of gall bladder
- infection
What are the risk factors for gallstones?
- diet high in fat
- high cholesterol
- recent sudden weight loss
- female
- overweight
- aged over 40
- history of IBS/ Crohn’s disease
- family history
What are the symptoms of coeliac disease?
- diarrhoea/ constipation
- oedema
- infertility
- anaemia
- itchy rash
- bloating
- tiredness
What are the physiological causes of coeliac disease?
- the immune system mistakenly recognises substances in gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them
- this causes the destruction of the villi in the small intestine
What are the risk factors of coeliac disease?
diet
- gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye
- eating foods rich in gluten causes the body to react
- bread, pasta, sausages, chocolate, beer, malt vinegar
How can coeliac disease cause an increase risk of osteoporosis?
- coeliac disease causes a malabsorption of calcium and vitamin D
How can coeliac disease cause an increase risk of anaemia?
- coeliac disease causes a malabsorption of iron
What are the methods of monitoring IBS?
- Severity Scoring System - used for individuals to monitor and evaluate their own understanding of level of pain, days in pain
- doctors will ask about their symptoms and rule out any other problems
What are the methods of monitoring gallstones?
- diagnostic tests
- ‘murphys sign test’
- blood tests for liver function
- ultrasound
- mri
- cholangiography (injected dye that shows blockages in an x-ray)
What are the methods of monitoring coeliac?
- Endoscopy - thin flexible tube with a light and camera, passed through the mouth into the small intestine to allow samples of tissue to be taken to check under a microscope
- blood tests to check for anti bodies only present due to coeliac and vitamin levels
- food dairy include symptoms
- regular check ups
What are the treatments of IBS?
- laxatives for constipation
- anti-diarrheas for diarrhoea
- buscopan an reduce gut sensitivity
- probiotics to improve food transit through digestive system. This can avoid constipation and becoming sluggish and prevents its from happening
What are the treatments of gallstones?
- lithotripsy - uses sound waves to break stones into smaller pieces
- medication - to dissolve stones (if not calcium ones)
- single incision key hole surgery
- laparoscopic cholecystectomy - 3 small incisions (1 in navel and 2 small other in abdomen)
What are the treatments of coeliac?
- no medication
- if itchy rash becomes infected, anti-inflammatory antibiotic can be prescribed
- vitamin and mineral supplements
What are the lifestyle changes for IBS?
Diet
- homemade food with fresh ingredients
- find ways to destress
- exercise keeps digestive system functioning
- avoid fatty, high alcohol, sugar
- caffeine is a diuretic which increase urination
- sugar free sweetners are laxatives which stimulate a diarrhoea episode
What are the lifestyle changes of gallstones?
- reduce fat intake to reduce gall bladder activity - largely effective
- loose weight gradually
- eat fruit/veg
What are the lifestyle changes for coeliac?
- exclude all food that contains gluten
- read ingredients on every packet of everything
- eating out may be difficult, though many eateries now produce allergy menus
What are the strengths of CT and MRI for monitoring gallstones?
- safe
- non-invasive
- can detect even the smallest gallstones
- patients don’t need anaesthesia
What are the strengths of an endoscopy for monitoring coeliac?
can help identify whether the body can accept gluten
What are 2 strengths of cholangiography for monitoring gallstones?
- avoids injury to bile duct
- detect common bile duct stones
Give one strength of medications/ vitamins for treatments coeliac?
- help reduce the risk of anaemia, osteoporosis and malnourishment
What are the strengths of medication for monitoring gallstones?
- non-surgical way of removing stones
- can help prevent those loosing weight quickly from developing gall stones
What are the strengths of regular checkups for monitoring coeliac?
- can identify whether the individuals needs supplements
- can monitor severity
- safe
What are the strengths of regular check ups for monitoring gallstones?
- can help prevent the gallstones from becoming too serious
What are the strengths of lithotripsy for monitoring gallstones?
- non-invasive
- safe
What are the strengths of dietary changes for monitoring IBS?
- will eleviate symptoms
- easy to do
- up to the individual
- largely effective
What are the strengths of dietary changes for monitoring coeliac?
- will eleviate symptoms
- easy to do
- largely effective
What are the strengths of dietary changes for monitoring gallstones ?
- can prevent gallstones for forming
- easy to do
- up to the individual
- largely effective
What are the weaknesses of a lithotripsy for treating gallstones?
- can still be pain passing the fragments
- not available in many centres
- fear
What are the weaknesses of an MRI for monitoring gallstones?
- fear of MRI - claustrophobia
What are the weaknesses of a cholangiography for treating gallstones?
- may lead to an infection and bleeding
- can cause pancreatitis
- can lead to an allergic reaction to the contrast dye
What are the weaknesses of medication for treating coeliac?
- have to be taken continuously
What are the weaknesses of medication for treating IBS?
- not a permanent fix
- have to be taken conitnously by individual, may forget
What are the weaknesses of medication for treating gallstones?
- have to be taken continuously
- takes a long time (2 years)
What does the oesophagus do?
- uses peristalsis to move bolus from throat to stomach
where does the emulsification of fats take place?
small intestine
Name the part of the digestive system that produces bile?
liver
Name the part of the digestive system that stores bile?
gallbladder
What is the role of the pituitary gland?
regulates other endocrine organs
How does the pancreas control glucose levels?
- produces insulin which is released into the blood
- causes liver to convert blood glucose into glycogen and
store it - glucagon can raise blood glucose levels
What does the pancreas produce?
- enzymes
- insulin which the liver converts to glycogen which is stored
What is the role of the bile duct?
carries bile from gall bladder to the small intestine
What is the role of the large intestine?
reabsorbs water from digested food and prepares waste products for removal
What is the role of the rectum?
stores faeces until they are removed
What is the role of the small intestine?
completes digestion and is the site of absorption of nutrients
Identify the type of synovial joint in the shoulder?
ball and socket
True or false, bones provide a framework for the attachment of muscles?
true
True or false, ligaments attach muscles to bones?
false
True or false, muscles can only pull when they contract?
true
Name the component of the synovial joint that would be affected by osteoporosis?
bone
