MID 2 GI Flashcards
(141 cards)
Anorexia
- Lack of desire to eat with nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, psychological stress
- Side effects of medication and disorders of other organs- cancer, heart disease, kidney disease
Emesis (vomiting)
- Forceful emptying of stomach and intestinal contents
- Nausea and retching (dry heaves) are distinct events that usually precede vomiting
- Consequences of nausea and vomiting: fluid and electrolyte imbalances, acid/base disturbance, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypochloremia and metabolic alkalosis
Emesis: Caused by
- Extreme pain
- Distension of the stomach or duodenum
- Motion sickness
- Side effects of medications
- Trauma of ovaries, testes, uterus, bladder or kidney
Nausea
- subjective experience
-associated with conditions like abnormal pain and spinning movements
- hypersalivation and tachycardia associated symptoms
Projectile vomiting
- Vomiting without nausea
- Caused by direct stimulation of the vomiting center by neurological lesions (e.g. increased intracranial pressure, tumors, or aneurysms) involving the brainstem or can be a symptom of GI obstruction
Constipation
- Difficult or infrequent defecation/bowel movements
- Subjective- dependant on normal bowel habits
Primary constipation
- Normal transit (functional)- normal rate, but difficult evacuation: sedentary lifestyle, poor diets- low in fibre, high in refined food, low fluid intake
- Slow transit- impaired colonic motor activity with infrequent bowel movements, straining, abdominal distension (swollen) and palpable stool in sigmoid colon
Pelvic floor dysfunction
difficulty with pelvic floor muscles or anal sphincter e.g. rectal fissures, strictures or hemorrhoids
Secondary constipation
- Caused by medications or neurogenic disorders
- Opiates, antacids and iron tend to inhibit bowel motility
- Endocrine or metabolic disorders e.g. hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus
- Diverticuli, irritable bowel syndrome and pregnancy are associated with constipation
Constipation: Manifestations
- 25% of the time: straining with defecation Lumpy, hard stools, incomplete emptying sensation, manual maneuvers, <3 bowel movements per week
- Fecal impaction (hard, dry stool retained in the rectum) → rectal bleeding, abdominal or cramping pain, nausea and vomiting, weight loss and episodes of diarrhea
- Straining to evacuate stool → engorgement of the hemorrhoidal veins and hemorrhoidal disease or thrombosis with rectal pain, bleeding and itching
- Passage of hard stools can cause painful anal fissures
Diarrhea
- Presence of frequent loose, watery stools
- > 3 loose stools within 24 hours lasting less than 14 days
- very dangerous in children- lower fluid reserves than adults
- Fluid replacement must be with osmotically balanced products
- Large volume diarrhea: caused by excessive amounts of water or secretions or both in the intestines
- Small-volume diarrhea: volume of feces is not increased, usually results from excessive intestinal motility
- Persistent diarrhea: 14 days-4 weeks
- Chronic diarrhea: >4 weeks
Osmotic diarrhea
- Excessive fluid drawn into the intestinal lumen by osmosis
- Caused by: Non-absorbable sugars, full-strength tube feeds, dumping syndrome
Secretory diarrhea
Excessive secretion of fluids by the intestinal mucosa
Motility diarrhea
- Excessive GI motility (motility diarrhea)- 80% fluid is reabsorbed in small intestine
- Caused by: Resection of the small intestine (short bowel syndrome), surgical bypass of an area of the intestine
Diarrhea: Manifestations
- Systemic effects: dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, weight loss
- Infection with diarrhea- fever, with or without vomiting or cramping pain
- Chronic diarrhea caused by IBD- fever, cramping pain and bloody stools
- Malabsorption syndromes- fat in stools, bloating, diarrhea
Abdominal pain
- Presenting symptom of a number of GI diseases
- Caused by stretching (mechanical), inflammation or ischemia
- Can be acute or chronic
- Can be parietal (somatic), visceral or referred
Parietal pain
from parietal peritoneum, more localized and intense than visceral pain, aggravated by movement
Visceral pain
arises from organs themselves, arises from a stimulus (distension, inflammation, ischemia) acting on an abdominal organ, poorly localized, diffuse or vague with a radiating pattern
Referred pain
visceral pain felt at some distance from a disease or affected organ
Upper GI bleed: Where is it
esophagus, stomach, or duodenum
Upper GI bleed: Caused by
- Bleeding varices
- Varicose veins of esophagus (most common)
- Peptic ulcers
- Tear at the esophageal-gastric junction (Mallory-Weiss syndrome) caused by severe retching
Upper GI bleed: Manifestations
hematemesis (vomiting of blood)= emesis of frank, bright red bleeding or dark, grainy digested blood (coffee grounds)
Lower GI bleed: Where is it
Jejunum, ileum, colon or rectum
Lower GI bleed: Caused by
- Polyps
- Diverticulitis
- Inflammatory disease
- Cancer
- Hemorrhoids