Small Intestinal Disorders and Investigation Flashcards
functions of the small intestine
digestion- the breaking of food into its components
absorption- the passage of nutrients into the body
barrier functions- regulating what stays in and gets out
endocrine and neural control functions- controlling the flow of material from the stomach to the colon, motility
how does digestion maintain control?
Decontaminates dirty food Requires a lot of fluid Controlled hydrolysis to avoid fluid shifts Sophisticated control of motility Absorption against gradients Onward processing in the liver
what does the large surface area provide?
Villous architecture
Constant turnover of cells in crypts & villi
low bacterial population leads to?
toxic environment
Digestive enzymes
Bile salts
Presence of IgA
how is a barrier against pathogens maintained?
Immune sampling
Monitoring the presence of pathogens
Translocation of Bacteria
Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT)
small bowel investigations
Small bowel biopsy
Endoscopy
CT Scan
MRI enterography
Capsule enterography
symptoms of small bowel disease
Weight Loss Increased appetite Diarrhoea Usually watery Sometimes steatorrhoea Bloating Fatigue
steatorrhoea?
Fat malabsorption High fat content in stool Stool less dense and floats, can be difficult to flush Pale Foul smelling May leave an oily mark or oil droplets
signs of small bowel disease
signs of weight loss
falling BMI
what is a result from vitamin A deficiency?
night blindness
what is a result from vitamin K deficiency?
raised PT
what is a result from vitamin B complex deficiency?
Thiamine (often on refeeding)
Memory, dementia
Niacin
Dermatitis, unexplained heart failure
what is a result from vitamin C deficiency?
scurvy
non specific signs of clubbing
coeliac disease
crohns
non specific signs of scleroderma
Systemic sclerosis
