PassMedicine Flashcards
What is the test used to diagnose liver cirrhosis
Transient elastography
Who should be offered a screening for liver cirrhosis
- People with hepatitis C
- Men who drink >50 units of alcohol per week
- Women who drink >35 units of alcohol per week
- People diagnosed with alcohol-related liver disease
How are patients with liver cirrhosis followed up
- Upper endoscopy to check for varies after initial diagnosis
- Liver ultrasound every 6 months (+/- alfa fetoprotein) for hepatocellular carcinoma
What are the common presenting symptoms of coeliac disease
Bloating
Flatulence
Abdominal pain
Fatigue
Weight loss
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Anaemic
Low Ferritin
Low folate
What is the gold standard test for diagnosing coeliac disease
Endoscopic intestinal biopsy
- villous atrophy
- crypt hyperplasma
- increased intraepithelial lymphocytes
- lamina propria infiltration with lymphocytes
What is barrels oesophagus
Were squamous epithelium is replaced with columnar epithelium
What is the management of Barretts oesophagus
Metaplasia - endoscopic surveillance every 3-5 years
Dysplasia - Endoscopic intervention - Radiofrequency ablation is 1st line, endoscopic mucosal resection can also be done
What are the main signs of acute mesenteric ischaemia
Sudden onset, severe abdominal pain
Vomiting and a rapid episode of bloody diarrhoea
Pain out of proportion with the clinical findings
TriadL Cardiovascular disease (usually AF), raised lactate and soft but tender abdomen.
What VBG findings will there be in acute mesenteric ischaemia
Metabolic acidosis
Elevated lactate
What imaging is used to diagnose ischaemic bowel
CT angiography abdomen and pelvis with contrast
What type of inheritance is haemochromatosis
Autosomal recessive
Who requires an urgent referral for upper GI
- All patients with dysphagia
- All patients with an upper abdominal mass
Patients >55 with weight loss AND:
- Upper abdominal pain
- Reflux
- Dyspepsia
Who requires a non-urgent GI referral
- Patients with haematemesis
-Patients > 55 with:
- Treatment resistant dyspepsia
- Upper abdo pain with low haemoglobin levels
- Raised platelet count and symptoms
- Nausea or vomiting with weight loss, reflux, dyspepsia and upper ando pain
What are the signs of acute cholecystitis
- Pain in RUQ - more severe and persistent than biliary colic
- Pain may radiate to back or right shoulder
- Pyrexia
- Murphys sign positive - arrest of inspiration on palpation of RUQ
- NOT jaundiced
What are the signs of ascending cholangitis
Triad of: Charcots triad
- Fever
- RUQ pain
- Jaundice
If very severe - Reynolds pentad:
- Fever
- RUQ pain
- Jaundice
- Shock (low bp, tachycardia)
- Altered mental status
What are the causes of vitamin B12 deficiency
- Pernicious anaemia (most common)
- Atrophic gastritis (secondary to H pylori)
- Gastrectomy
- Malnutrition (alcoholism)
What is the pathophysiology of pernicious anaemia
Antibodies are created against intrinsic factor (+/- gastric parietal cells)
- Intrinsic factor antibodies bind to intrinsic factor - this blocks vitamin B12 binding sight
- Gastric parietal cell antibodies - caused reduced acid production and atrophic gastritis. This causes reduced intrinsic factor which again causes reduced vitamin B12 absorption.
What is the role of vitamin B12
- Production of blood cells
- Myelination of nerves
A deficiency causes megaloblastic anaemia and neuropathy
What are the features of vitamin B12 deficiency?
Anaemia:
- Lethargy, pallor, dyspnoea
Neurological:
- Peripheral neuropathy (pins and needle), numbness (symmetrical) and affects the legs more than the arms.
- Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord (progressive weakness, ataxia, parasthesias, spasticity, paraplegia).
Psychiatric:
- memory loss, poor concentration, confusion, depression, irritability
Other:
- Mild jaundice, glossitis, angular cheilitis
** Increased risk of gastric cancer - vitamin B therapy resolves the anaemia but the atrophic gastritis remains **
what are the signs and symptoms of vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) Vitamin C = Ascorbic acid
- ecchymosis (easy bruising)
- Poor wound healing
- Follicular hyperkeratosis and perifollicular hyperkeratosis (cork screw hairs)
- Gingivitis + bleeding and receding gums
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Arthralgia
- Oedema
- Weakness, malaise, anorexia, depression
What are the classic features of pancreatic cancer
- Painless jaundice
- Pale stools, dark urine, pruritus
- Abdominal masses (hepatomegaly, gallbladder, epigastric mass)
- Cholestatic liver function tests
- Anorexia, weight loss, epigastric pain
What is Boerhaave syndrome
Rupture of the oesophagus
Causes crepitus on examination
What is the pattern of inheritance of Gilberts syndrome
Autosomal Recessive
Isolated increase of UNCONJUGATED bilirubin
What is the treatment for alcoholic hepatitis
Glucocorticoids (for example, prednisolone)
What histology is seen in Crohns
Inflammation in all layers from mucosa to serosa
Increased goblet cells
Granulomas
What histology is seen in Ulcerative Colitis
No inflammation beyond the submucosa
Crypt abscesses
Depletion of goblet cells and mucin
Granulomas are infrequent
How is primary biliary cholangitis diagnosed
The M rule:
Anti-mitochondrial antibodies
Raised IgM
Middle aged females
Abnormal liver function tests (raised ALP and yGT)1
What is the difference between primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosis cholangitis
Both are cholestatic liver diseases that can cause liver cirrhosis and liver failure.
Both cause poor flow of bile through the liver and bile ducts.
Primary sclerosis cholangitis:
- A chronic, progressive condition characterised by inflammation, scarring and structuring of the intrahepatic and extra hepatic bile ducts’.
- Some segments are unaffected so it gives a bead appearance.
- 2x as common in males, a strong link with ulcerative colitis
- Survival is 15 years
- Cholangiocarcinoma
Primary Biliary Cholangitis:
- A chronic, progressive, autoimmune condition leading to destruction of the small intrahepatic bile ducts
- More common than PSC
- more common in females, middle aged
- Associated with other autoimmune diseases
What is the treatment for primary biliary cholangitis
First line:
Ursodeoxycholic acid
Itch - cholecystramine
What is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Excessive fat in the liver cells, specifically triglycerides. The fat deposits interfere with functioning of the liver cells.
It can progress to cause hepatitis or lover cirrhosis.
What are the risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Same risk factors as CVD and diabetes
25% of the population is thought to have NAFLD
- Middle aged
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Hypertension
- Smoking
What are the investigations for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Raised ALT (often 1st indication of NAFLD)
- Liver ultrasound (for hepatic steatosis - fatty liver)
- Enhanced liver fibrosis blood test (for fibrosis)
- Transient elastography (used for fibrosis)
- Liver biopsy is gold standard
Transient elastography is most commonly done
Which blood test is characteristic of alcoholic hepatitis
The AST/ALT ratio being >2:1
What is the management for C difficile infection
stop all opioids - Reduce gut motility and clearance of C. difficult which increases risk of toxic megacolon.
First line: Oral vancomycin for 10 days
Second line: Oral fidaxomicin
Third line-: Oral vancomycin +/- IV metronidazole
How is Ulcerative colitis classified
Mild:
<4 stools/day, only a small amount of blood
Moderate:
4-6 stools/day, varying amount of blood, no systemic upset
Severe:
>6 bloody stools/day, features of systemic upset (pyrexia, tachycardia, anaemia, raised inflammatory markers)
How is mild - moderate ulcerative colitis managed to induce remission
Proctitis:
- Topical (rectal) aminosalicylate (mesalazine)
- If remission isn’t achieved within 4 weeks - add oral aminosalicylate
- If remission isn’t achieved - add topical or oral corticosteroid (prednisolone)
Proctosigmoiditis + left-sided UC:
- Topical (rectal) aminosaclytate
- If remission isn’t achieved within 4 weeks - add a high dose oral aminosalicylate OR high dose oral aminosalycilate and topical corticosteroid
- If remission still isn’t achieved - stop topical treatment and offer oral aminosalycilate and oral corticosteroid
Extensive disease:
- Topical (rectal) aminosalicylate and a high dose oral aminosalycilate
- If remission isn’t achieved within 4 weeks - stop topical treatment and add a high dose oral aminosalicylate and an oral corticosteroid
How is severe ulcerative colitis managed to induce remission
Should be treated in hospital
First line:
- IV steroids
Other:
- IV cyclosporin if steroids contraindicated
If no improvement after 72 hours:
- add IV cyclosporin to the IV steroids OR consider surgery
How is remission maintained in ulcerative colitis after a mild-moderate flare
Proctitis and proctosigmviditis:
- Topical aminosalycylate alone
OR
- An oral aminosalicylate + topical aminosalicylate
Left-sided and extensive ulcerative colitis:
- Low maintenance dose of an oral aminosalicylate
How is remission of a severe episode of ulcerative colitis maintained
Severe relapse or >2 exacerbations in the past year:
- Oral azathioprine or oral mercaptopurine
Which scoring systems are used to classify the severity of liver cirrhosis
Child-Pugh OR Model for End stage liver disease (MELD)
What are the associations of H. Pylori Infection
Peptic ulcer disease - 95% duodenal, 75% gastric (most common)
gastric Cancer
B cell lymphoma
Atrophic gastritis
How is H. Pylori infection treated
A 7 day course of:
- PPI + Amoxicillin + (clarithromycin OR metronidazole)
- If penicillin allergy - PPI + metronidazole + clarithromycin
What is achalasia
Failure of oesophageal peristalsis and relaxation of the lower oesophageal sphincter due to the degenerative loss of ganglia from Auerbachs plexus
What is the treatment for achalasia
First-line:
- Pneumatic balloon dilatation
If recurrent or persistent symptoms:
- Heller cardopmyotomy
Other:
- Intra-sphincter injection of botulinum toxin
- Drug therapy (nitrates, calcium channel blockers)
What is Wilson’s disease
An autosomal recessive condition characterised by the toxic accumulation of copper in the liver and brain.
Metabolic abnormalities include increased copper absorption from the small intestine and decreased hepatic copper excretion.
What are the features of Wilsons disease
What are the features of Wilsons disease
Symptom onset is usually between 10-25 years.
Children - present with liver disease
Young adults - Present with neurological disease