Patho Flashcards
(86 cards)
Gastrointestinal system consumes, digests, & eliminates food
Includes
Upper division: oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, and stomach
Lower division: small intestine, large intestine, and anus
Hepatobiliary system: liver, gallbladder, and pancreas
Four layers: mucosa, submucosa, muscle, and serosa
Mucus facilitates movement of contents and protects tissue from low pH
Peritoneum: large serous membrane that lines the abdominal cavity
Parietal peritoneum: outer layer
Visceral peritoneum: inner layer
Peritoneal cavity: space between the two layers
Mesentery: double-layer peritoneum with blood vessels/nerves supplying intestinal wall
Peristalsis: wavelike contractions that push food through GI tract
Food enters through the mouth to begin chemical and mechanical digestion (mastication)
Swallowing coordinated by swallowing center in medulla and cranial nerves (V, IX, X, XII)
Aspiration: when food enters the trachea and lungs through the esophagus
Esophagus: a tube of muscular rings to peristaltically guide food to the stomach
Lower esophageal sphincter (LES): opens to allow food into stomach, closing prevents reflux
Stomach: expandable food and liquid reservoir
Rugae: wrinkles formed in the empty stomach wall
Chyme: highly acidic mix of food and gastric juices
Pyloric sphincter: where chyme exits the stomach into the intestines
LIVER
Main functions
Metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats
Synthesize glucose, protein, cholesterol, triglycerides, and clotting factors
Store glucose, fats, and micronutrients and release when needed
Detoxify blood of potentially harmful chemicals
Maintain intravascular fluid volume
Produce bile
Inactivate and prepare hormones for excretion
Remove damaged or old erythrocytes to recycle iron and protein
Serve as a blood reservoir
Convert fatty acids to ketones
Gallbladder
stores bile produced by the liver
Portal vein
carries partially deoxygenated blood from GI tract to liver
Hepatic artery
carries oxygenated blood to liver
Endocrine function
produces hormones to help regulate blood glucose
Exocrine functions
produces enzymes, electrolytes, and water necessary for digestion
Lower GI Tract
Continues digestion
Absorbs nutrients and water
Small intestine: longest section of GI tract for nutrient absorption
Cecum: small pouch ending the small intestine
Appendix: vestigial organ attached to cecum
Large intestine: deep crypts
Colon: absorbs water and electrolytes
Feces: waste with undigested or unabsorbed remnants and
bacteria
Rectum: reservoir to store feces
Defecation: reflex elicited through spinal cord to eliminate waste
GI Changes Associated with Aging
Atrophic gastritis
Achlorhydria
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Decreased digestion
Decreased peristalsis
Changes in lactose, calcium, and iron metabolism and absorption
Liver experiences reduced blood flow, delayed drug clearance, and diminished regeneration capacity.
Altered nutrition
These conditions include issues consuming, digesting, and absorbing food.
Affected individuals are often underweight and vitamin deficient.
Disorders of the liver: hepatitis, cirrhosis
Disorders of the pancreas: pancreatitis
Impaired elimination
These conditions may be symptoms of another secondary condition, or the primary one.
alter nutrition as well as impair elimination
Disorders of the lower GI tract: diarrhea, constipation, intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, peritonitis, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease
Cancers: oral cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer
Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
Common multifactorial congenital defects of the mouth and face that are apparent at birth and vary in severity; usually develop at 4–9 weeks’ gestation
Associated with genetic mutations, drugs, toxins, viruses, vitamin deficiencies, and cigarette smoking
Most frequent in American Indians, Hispanics, and Asians; African Americans are least likely to develop cleft palate
Males twice as likely to have a cleft lip; females twice as likely to have a cleft palate
Can affect one’s appearance and may lead to feeding issues, speech problems, ear infections, and hearing problems
Cleft lip results from failure of the maxillary processes and nasal elevations or upper lip to fuse during development
Cleft palate results from failure of the hard and soft palate to fuse in development, creating an opening between the oral and nasal cavity
May occur separately or together, unilaterally or bilaterally
Teeth and nose malformations may also be present
Esophageal atresia
Incomplete formation of the esophagus
The exact cause is unknown, but associated with
VACTERL (vertebral anomalies, anal atresia, cardiac malformations, tracheoesophageal fistula, esophageal atresia, renal anomalies and radial aplasia, and limb anomalies) and
CHARGE (coloboma, heart defects, atresia of the choanae, retardation of mental and/or physical development, genital hypoplasia, and ear abnormalities)
Risk factors: increased paternal age and maternal use of assisted reproduction
Clinical Manifestations: excessive secretions, coughing, vomiting, and cyanosis after feeding
Possible Complication: aspiration pneumonia
Diagnosis: rarely in utero, commonly after birth; based on history, exam, prenatal ultrasound, postnatal nasogastric or orogastric tube placement
Treatment: surgical repair is the primary treatment
Pyloric stenosis (infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis)
Narrowing and obstruction of the pyloric sphincter
pyloric sphincter become thick and stiff, making it difficult for the stomach to empty food into the small intestine
May be present at birth or develop later in life
Most cases present at approximately 3 weeks of life
The exact cause of pyloric stenosis is unknown, but it is thought to be multifactorial
Exposure to macrolides (category of antibiotics) in early infancy leads to increased pyloric stenosis risk
Most common in Caucasians and males
Manifestations appear within several weeks after birth and include a hard mass in the abdomen, regurgitation, projectile vomiting, wavelike stomach contractions, small and infrequent stools, failure to gain weight, dehydration, and irritability
Diagnosis: history, physical examination, abdominal ultrasound, barium X-ray, endoscopy, arterial blood gases, and blood chemistry
Treatment: surgical repair called pyloromyotomy or balloon dilation
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing
Causes: congenital atresia, esophageal stenosis or stricture, esophageal diverticula, tumors, stroke, cerebral damage, achalasia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome
Manifestations: a sensation of food being stuck in the throat, choking, coughing, “pocketing” food in the cheeks, difficulty forming a food bolus, delayed swallowing, and odynophagia
Diagnosis: history, physical examination, barium swallow, chest and neck X-ray, esophageal pH measurement, esophageal manometry, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy
Treatment: specific for the causative condition but usually includes speech therapy
Vomiting (emesis):
involuntary or voluntary forceful ejection of chyme from the stomach up through the esophagus and out the mouth
Causes: protection (infection), reverse peristalsis, increased intracranial pressure, and severe pain
Coordinated by the medulla:
Deep breath is taken
Glottis closes and soft palate rises
Respirations cease to minimize aspiration risk
Gastroesophageal sphincter relaxes
Abdominal muscles contract, squeezing stomach against diagram to force chyme upwards
Reverse peristaltic waves eject chyme from the mouth
May be preceded by nausea
Recurrent vomiting can lead to fluid, electrolyte, and pH imbalances
Vomiting
Aspiration can cause serious damage and inflammation and can occur when supine, unconscious, or the vomiting or cough reflex is suppressed
Hematemesis: blood in the vomitus
Has a characteristic “coffee grounds” appearance resulting from protein in the blood being partially digested
Blood is irritating to the gastric mucosa
Can occur from any conditions that cause upper GI bleeding
Yellow or green vomitus usually indicates the presence of bile
Can occur as a result of a GI tract obstruction
A deep brown vomitus may indicate content from the lower intestine
Frequently results from intestinal obstruction
Undigested food vomitus is caused by conditions that impair gastric emptying
Disorders of the Upper GI Tract: Vomiting (Diagnosis & Treatment)
Disorders of the Upper GI Tract: Vomiting (Diagnosis & Treatment)
BRAT diet
bananas, rice, apple sauce, toast
Hiatal Hernia
A stomach section protrudes upward through an opening in the diaphragm toward the lung
Causes: weakening of the diaphragm muscle, frequently resulting from increased intrathoracic pressure or increased intra-abdominal pressure; trauma; congenital defects
Risk factors: advanced age and smoking
Manifestations include indigestion, heartburn, frequent belching, nausea, chest pain, strictures, dysphagia, and soft upper abdominal mass (protruding stomach pouch)
Worsen with recumbent positioning, eating (especially after large meals), bending over, coughing
Diagnosis: history, physical examination, barium swallow, upper GI tract X-rays, manometry, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy
Treatment: small frequent meals (six small meals a day), avoiding alcohol, assuming a high Fowler’s position after meals, sleeping with head of bed elevated 6 inches, ceasing smoking, reducing stress (stress increases gastrointestinal ischemia), antacids, acid-reducing agents, mucosal barrier agents, and surgical repair
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD):
chyme or bile periodically backs up from the stomach into the esophagus, irritating the esophageal mucosa
Causes: certain foods (e.g., chocolate, caffeine, carbonated beverages, citrus fruit, tomatoes, spicy or fatty foods, and peppermint), alcohol consumption, nicotine, hiatal hernia, obesity, pregnancy, certain medications (e.g., corticosteroids, beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers, and anticholinergics), nasogastric intubation, and delayed gastric emptying
Manifestations: heartburn, epigastric pain (usually after a meal or when recombinant), dysphagia, dry cough, laryngitis, pharyngitis, regurgitation of food, and sensation of a lump in the throat
Often confused with angina and may warrant ruling out cardiac disease
Complications: esophagitis, strictures, ulcerations, esophageal cancer, and chronic pulmonary disease
Diagnosis: history, physical examination, barium swallow, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, esophageal pH monitoring, and esophagus manometry
Treatment: avoid triggers, avoid clothing that is restrictive around the waist, eat small frequent meals, high Fowler’s positioning 2–3 hours after meals, weight loss, stress reduction, elevate the head of the bed approximately 6 inches, antacids, acid-reducing agents, mucosal barrier agents, herbal therapies (e.g., licorice, slippery elm, and chamomile), and surgery
Peptic ulcer disease (PUD)
lesions affecting stomach lining or duodenum
Risk factors: being male, advancing age, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, H. pylori infections, certain gastric tumors, and those for GERD (e.g., smoking and alcohol use)
Vary in severity from superficial erosions to complete penetration; develops from an imbalance between destructive forces and protective mechanisms
Stress Ulcers
Develop because of a major physiological stressor on the body due to local tissue ischemia, tissue acidosis, bile salts entering the stomach, and decreased GI motility
Curling’s ulcers: stress ulcers associated with burns
Cushing’s ulcers: stress ulcers associated with head injuries
Most frequently develop in the stomach; ulcers can form within hours of an event; often hemorrhage is first indicator as ulcer develops rapidly and is masked by primary problem
Complications: GI hemorrhage, obstruction, perforation, and peritonitis
Manifestations: epigastric or abdominal pain, abdominal cramping, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting
Diagnosis: history, physical examination, upper GI tract X-ray, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, serum H. pylori antibody levels, H. pylori breath test, and stool analysis (H. pylori and occult blood)
Treatment resembles gastritis treatment, surgical repair, and prophylactic meds
Cholelithiasis (gallstones)
a common condition that varies in severity based on size of stone
Cholecystitis: inflammation or infection in the biliary system caused by calculi
Risk factors: advancing age, obesity, diet, rapid weight loss, pregnancy, hormone replacement, and long-term parenteral nutrition. May obstruct bile flow and cause gallbladder rupture, fistula formation, gangrene, hepatitis, pancreatitis, and carcinoma
Manifestations: biliary colic, abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, fever, and leukocytosis
Diagnosis: history, physical examination, abdominal X-ray, gallbladder ultrasound, and laparoscopy
Treatment: low-fat diet, medications to dissolve the calculi (e.g., bile acids), antibiotic therapy, nasogastric tube with intermittent suction, lithotripsy, choledochostomy (surgery to create an opening for drainage), and laparoscopic removal of calculi or gallbladder