Git medicine

GIT medicine
By Musungu V
03/10/2017 Bachelor of Clinical Medicine 1

Introduction
•Course outline
•Disorders of the alimentary
canal
•Disorders of the hebatobilliary
system
•Disorders of the pancrease

• Take full history, examine and investigate
• To do this you need to appreciate few aspects
• Anatomic considerations; (GI) tract extends from the mouth
to the anus and is composed of several organs with distinct
functions
• The GI tract serves two main functions—assimilating
nutrients and eliminating waste.
• GI function is modified by influences outside of the gut.
• Unlike other organ systems, the gut is in continuity with the
outside environment.
• protective mechanisms are vigilant against deleterious effects
of foods, medications, toxins, and infectious organisms
Disorders of Alimentary canal
Approach to the pt

Classification of GI diseases
• GI diseases are manifestations of alterations in
nutrient assimilation or waste evacuation or in the
activities supporting these main functions.
• Thus classified as
• Impaired Digestion and Absorption
• Altered Secretion
• Altered Gut Transit
• Immune Dysregulation
• Impaired Gut Blood Flow
• Neoplastic Degeneration
• Disorders Without Obvious Organic Abnormalities
• Genetic disorders

GI symptoms

•NB:
• Abd. Pain: Visceral pain generally is
midline in location and vague in
character, while parietal pain is localized
and precisely described.
• upper GI bleeding presents with melena
or hematemesis, whereas lower GI
bleeding produces passage of bright red
or maroon stools.
• Chronic slow GI bleeding may present
with iron deficiency anemia

Evaluation of Pt with GI Disease
• begins with a careful history and exam
• Subsequent investigation with a variety of tools
designed to test gut structure or function are
indicated in selected cases.
• Some patients exhibit normal findings on diagnostic
testing. (functional bowel disorder.)
• Tools for patient evaluation in GI disease
• Laboratory,
• radiographic,
• functional tests
• All above can assist in diagnosis of suspected GI
disease

Laboratory
• Iron-deficiency anemia suggests mucosal blood
loss,
• vitamin B12 deficiency results from small-intestinal,
gastric, or pancreatic disease
• All above can result from inadequate oral intake
• Leukocytosis and increased ESR and CRP are found
in inflammatory conditions,
• leukopenia is seen in viremic illness
• TFT, cortisol, and calcium levels are obtained to
exclude endocrinologic causes of GI symptoms.
• PDT considered for women with unexplained
nausea

Luminal contents
• Luminal contents are examined for diagnostic clues.
• Stool samples are cultured for bacterial pathogens,
and also examined for leukocytes and parasites, or
tested for Giardia antigen among other parasites
• Fecal fat is indicate possible malabsorption.
• Gastric acid is quantified to rule out Zollinger-
Ellison syndrome

Endoscopy

Diseases of the esophagus
• Symptoms
• Heartburn (pyrosis),
• MOST common esophageal symptom,
• characterized by a discomfort or burning sensation
behind the sternum
• arises from the epigastrium and may radiate toward the
neck
• Regurgitation
• the effortless return of food or fluid into the pharynx without nausea
or retching.
• Patients report a sour or burning fluid in the throat or
mouth that may also contain undigested food particles.
• Bending, belching, or maneuvers that increase
intraabdominal pressure can provoke regurgitation

• Vomiting is preceded by nausea and accompanied
by retching.
• Rumination is a behavior in which recently
swallowed food is regurgitated and then
reswallowed repetitively for up to an hour
• There is linkage between rumination and mental
deficiency

• Chest pain
• a common esophageal symptom with
characteristics similar to cardiac pain, making this
distinction difficult
• Esophageal pain is usually experienced as a
pressure type sensation in the mid chest, radiating
to the mid back, arms, or jaws
• The similarity to cardiac pain is likely because the
two organs share a nerve plexus and the nerve
endings in the esophageal wall have poor
discriminative ability among stimuli.
• Gastroesophageal reflux is the most common cause
of esophageal chest pain.

• Esophageal dysphagia
• is often described as a feeling of food "sticking" or even
lodging in the chest
• Odynophagia
• Defined as pain either caused by or worsened by swallowing.
• When odynophagia occur in GERD, it is likely related to an
esophageal ulcer or deep erosion.
• Globus sensation,
• aka "globus hystericus," is the perception of a lump or
fullness in the throat that is felt irrespective of swallowing
• often occurs in the setting of anxiety or obsessive-compulsive
disorders
• Water brash
• Defined as excessive salivation resulting from a vagal reflex
triggered by acidification of the esophageal mucosa.
• This is not a common symptom.

Classification of oesophageal disorders
• Structural e.g Hiatal hernia, Rings and web, Diverticula, Tumors
• Congenital e.g Esophageal atresia
• Esophageal Motality Disorders e.g Achalasia, Diffuse
esophageal spasms (Des)
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
• Eosinophillic esophagitis
• Infectious esophagitis e.g candida, herpes, CMV
• Mechanical Trauma and Iatrogenic Injury e.g
perforation, Mallory Weiss tear, radiation esophagitis,
corrosive esophagitis, pill esophagitis, FB
• Esophageal Manifestations of Systemic Disease e.g
Scleroderma and Collagen Vascular Diseases,
Dermatologic Diseases

Structural disorders
• Hiatal hernia
• herniation of viscera, commonly the stomach, into the
mediastinum through the esophageal hiatus of the
diaphragm
• There are two main types of hiatal hernia
• Sliding hiatus hernia (common 95%)
• Paraesophaeal hernia (further subdivided) read
• Rings and Webs
• A lower esophageal mucosal ring, (B ring), is a thin
membranous narrowing at the squamocolumnar
mucosal junction
• Its origin is unknown.15% of people asymptomatic
• If lumen diameter <13 mm, distal rings produce episodic
solid food dysphagia (Schatzki rings)

• Web-like constrictions higher in the esophagus can
be congenital or inflammatory origin.
• When circumferential, they can cause intermittent
dysphagia to solids similar to Schatzki rings (treated
with dilatation)
• The combination of symptomatic proximal
esophageal webs and iron-deficiency anemia in
middle-aged women constitutes Plummer-Vinson
syndrome.

Diverticula
• Categorized by location.
• most common are:
• epiphrenic,
• hypopharyngeal (Zenker's),
• mid esophageal
• Epiphrenic and Zenker's diverticula are false diverticula
involving herniation of the mucosa and submucosa
through the muscular layer of the esophagus
• In Zenker's, the obstruction is a stenotic
cricopharyngeus muscle (upper esophageal sphincter)
• In hypopharyngeal herniation most commonly occurs in
an area of natural weakness known as Killian's triangle

• NB:
• Killian's dehiscence (also known as
Killian's triangle, Laimer triangle, Laimer-
Killian triangle, or Laimer-Haeckermann
area) is a triangular area in the wall of the
pharynx between the thyropharyngeal
and cricopharyngeus of the inferior
constrictor of the pharynx.

• Epiphrenic diverticula are associated with
achalasia or a distal esophageal stricture.
• Mid-esophageal diverticula may be caused
by traction from adjacent inflammation
(classically tuberculosis)
• Mid-esophageal and epiphrenic diverticula
are usually asymptomatic until they enlarge
sufficiently to retain food and cause
dysphagia and regurgitation

Tumors
• The typical presentation of oesophageal cancer is
of progressive solid food dysphagia and weight loss.
• Associated symptoms may include odynophagia,
iron deficiency, and, with mid-esophageal tumours,
hoarseness from left recurrent laryngeal nerve
injury.
• Benign esophageal tumors are uncommon

Congenital Anomalies
• The most common congenital esophageal anomaly
is esophageal atresia.
• Dysphagia can also result from congenital
abnormalities that cause extrinsic compression of
the esophagus
• In dysphagia lusoria, the esophagus is compressed
by an aberrant right subclavian artery arising from
the descending aorta and passing behind the
esophagus

Oesophageal Motility Disorders
• Are diseases attributable to esophageal
neuromuscular dysfunction commonly associated
with dysphagia, chest pain, or heartburn.
• They are:
• achalasia,
• diffuse esophageal spasm (DES),
• GERD
• Motility disorders can also be secondary to broader
disease processes as is the case with pseudoachalasia,
Chagas' disease, and scleroderma.

Achalasia
• A rare disease caused by loss of ganglion cells within
the esophageal myenteric plexus.
• Long-standing achalasia is characterized by progressive
dilatation and sigmoid deformity of the esophagus with
hypertrophy of the LES.
• Clinical manifestations may include
• dysphagia,
• regurgitation,
• chest pain,
• weight loss.
• Most patients report solid and liquid food dysphagia.
• Regurgitation occurs when food, fluid, and secretions
are retained in the dilated esophagus

• Patients with advanced achalasia are at risk for
• bronchitis,
• pneumonia,
• lung abscess from chronic regurgitation and aspiration.
• Chest pain is common early in the course of achalasia, due to
esophageal spasm.
• Patients describe a squeezing, pressure-like retrosternal pain,
sometimes radiating to the neck, arms, jaw, and back.
• Achalasia is diagnosed by barium swallow x-ray and/or
esophageal manometry
• The barium swallow x-ray appearance is of a dilated esophagus
with poor emptying, an air-fluid level, and tapering at the LES
giving it a beak-like appearance

Tx
• There is no known way of preventing or reversing
achalasia.
• Therapy is directed at reducing LES pressure so that
gravity and esophageal pressurization promote
esophageal emptying.
• Peristalsis rarely, if ever, returns.
• LES pressure can be reduced by:
• pharmacological therapy,
• forceful dilatation,
• surgical myotomy
• Botulinum toxin, injected into the LES under
endoscopic guidance, inhibits acetylcholine release
from nerve endings and improves dysphagia

• Inadequately treated achalasia, esophageal
dilatation predisposes to stasis esophagitis.
• Prolonged stasis esophagitis explains association
between achalasia and esophageal squamous cell
cancer.

Diffuse Esophageal Spasm (Des)
• Manifested by episodes of dysphagia and chest
pain attributable to abnormal esophageal
contractions with normal deglutitive LES relaxation
• Radiographically, DES has been characterized by
tertiary contractions or a "corkscrew esophagus
• in many instances these abnormalities are actually
indicative of achalasia

DES

•Esophageal chest pain closely
mimics angina pectoris.
•Features suggesting esophageal
pain include
•pain that is nonexertional,
prolonged, interrupts sleep, is meal-
related, is relieved with antacids,
and is accompanied by heartburn,
dysphagia, or regurgitation.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
• Gastroesophageal reflux is the return of the
stomach's contents back up into the esophagus.
• In normal digestion, the lower esophageal
sphincter (LES) opens to allow food to pass into
the stomach and closes to prevent food and
acidic stomach juices from flowing back into the
esophagus.
• Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the LES is
weak or relaxes inappropriately, allowing the
stomach's contents to flow up into the
esophagus.

Pathophysiology
•Most pts with GERD have
esophagitis.
•Esophagitis occurs when refluxed
gastric acid and pepsin cause
necrosis of the esophageal mucosa
causing erosions and ulcers.
•esophagitis results from excessive
reflux, often accompanied by
impaired clearance of the refluxed
gastric juice.

• Three dominant mechanisms of
esophagogastric junction incompetence are
recognized
• transient LES relaxations (a vagovagal reflex
in which LES relaxation is elicited by gastric
distention),
• LES hypotension,
• anatomic distortion of the esophagogastric
junction inclusive of hiatus hernia.
• Transient LES relaxations account for 90% of
reflux in normal subjects or GERD patients
without hiatus hernia.

• Factors worsening reflux include
i. abdominal obesity,
ii. pregnancy,
iii. gastric hypersecretory states,
iv. delayed gastric emptying,
v. disruption of esophageal peristalsis,
vi. gluttony.
• After acid reflux, peristalsis returns the
refluxed fluid to the stomach and acid
clearance is completed by titration of the
residual acid by bicarbonate contained in
swallowed saliva.

• two causes of prolonged acid clearance are:
• impaired peristalsis
• reduced salivation.
• Impaired peristaltic emptying can be
attributable to disrupted peristalsis or
superimposed reflux associated with a hiatal
hernia.
• With superimposed reflux, fluid retained within
a sliding hiatal hernia refluxes back into the
esophagus during swallow-related LES
relaxation.

•Pepsin, bile, and pancreatic
enzymes within gastric
secretions can also injure the
esophageal epithelium, but
their noxious properties are
either lessened in an acidic
environment or dependent on
acidity for activation

Symptoms of GERD
•Heart burn
•Dysphagia
•Chest pains
•Extraesophageal syndromes with an
established association to GERD
include
• chronic cough,
• laryngitis,
• asthma,
• dental erosions

•Ddx (read)
•Complications
•Bleeding
•Stricture
•Esophageal
adenocarcinoma

Tx
•Lifestyle modification
•these fall into three categories:
• avoidance of foods that reduce lower
esophageal sphincter pressure, making
them "refluxogenic" (these commonly
include fatty foods, alcohol, spearmint,
peppermint, tomato-based foods, possibly
coffee and tea);
• avoidance of acidic foods that are
inherently irritating;
• adoption of behaviors to minimize reflux
and/or heartburn.

• The dominant pharmacologic approach to GERD
management is with inhibitors of gastric acid
secretion.
• Pharmacologically reducing the acidity of gastric
juice does not prevent reflux, but it ameliorates
reflux symptoms and allows esophagitis to heal.
• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are more
efficacious than histamine2 receptor antagonists
(H2RAs),
• No major differences exist among PPIs and only
modest gain is achieved by increased dosage.

•Vitamin B12, calcium, and iron absorption
may be compromised and susceptibility to
enteric infections, particularly Clostridium
difficile colitis increased with treatment
using PPIs.
•Read and make notes on: (assignment 1)
• Eosinophillic esophagitis
• Infectious esophagitis
• Esophageal Manifestations of Systemic
Disease

Mechanical Trauma and Iatrogenic Injury
•These include;
i. Esophageal Perforation
ii. Mallory-Weiss Tear
iii. Radiation Esophagitis
iv. Corrosive Esophagitis
v. Pill Esophagitis

Esophageal Perforation
• Most cases of esophageal perforation are from
instrumentation of the esophagus or trauma.
• forceful vomiting or retching can lead to
spontaneous rupture at the gastroesophageal
junction (Boerhaave's syndrome)
• corrosive esophagitis or neoplasms can lead to
perforation
• Esophageal perforation causes pleuritic
retrosternal pain that can be associated with
pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous
emphysema.
• Mediastinitis is a major complication of esophageal
perforation

•CT of the chest is most sensitive in
detecting mediastinal air
•Treatment includes nasogastric suction
and parenteral broad-spectrum
antibiotics with prompt surgical
drainage and repair in noncontained
leaks.
•Conservative therapy with NPO status
and antibiotics without surgery may be
appropriate

Mallory-Weiss Tear
• Vomiting, retching, or vigorous coughing can
cause a nontransmural tear at the
gastroesophageal junction that is a common
cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
• Most patients present with hematemesis.
• Bleeding usually abates spontaneously, but
protracted bleeding may respond to local
epinephrine or cauterization therapy,
endoscopic clipping, or angiographic
embolization.
• Surgery is rarely needed.

Radiation Esophagitis
• can complicate treatment for thoracic cancers,
especially breast and lung, with the risk
proportional to radiation dosage.
• Radiosensitizing drugs such as doxorubicin,
bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, and cisplatin also
increase the risk.
• Dysphagia and odynophagia may last weeks to
months after therapy
• Radiation exposure in excess of 5000 cGY has been
associated with increased risk of esophageal
stricture

Corrosive Esophagitis
• Caustic esophageal injury from ingestion of alkali or,
acid can be accidental or from attempted suicide
• Absence of oral injury does not exclude possible
esophageal involvement.
• early endoscopic evaluation is recommended to assess
and grade the injury to the esophageal mucosa
• Severe corrosive injury may lead to esophageal
perforation, bleeding, stricture, and death
• Healing of more severe grades of caustic injury is
commonly associated with severe stricture formation
and often requires repeated dilatation.

Pill Esophagitis
• occurs when a swallowed pill fails to traverses the
entire esophagus and lodges within the lumen
• attributed to poor "pill taking habits": inadequate
liquid with the pill, or lying down immediately after
taking a pill
• The most common location for the pill to lodge is in
the mid-esophagus near the crossing of the aorta
or carina
• Typical symptoms of pill esophagitis are the sudden
onset of chest pain and odynophagia

Peptic Ulcer Disease
• An ulcer is defined as disruption of the mucosal
integrity of the stomach and/or duodenum leading
to a local defect or excavation due to active
inflammation
• Ulcers occur within the stomach and/or duodenum
and are often chronic in nature

Pathophysiologic Basis of Peptic Ulcer Disease
• PUD encompasses both gastric and duodenal
ulcers.
• Ulcers are defined as breaks in the mucosal surface
>5 mm in size, with depth to the submucosa.
• Duodenal ulcers (DUs) and gastric ulcers (GUs);
share many common features in terms of
pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment, but several
factors distinguish them from one another.

Epidemiology
• DU
• The death rates, need for surgery, and physician visits
have decreased by >50% over the past 30 years.
• The reason for the reduction in the frequency of DUs is
due to decreasing frequency of Helicobacter pylori.
• Before the discovery of H. pylori, the natural history of
DUs was typified by frequent recurrences after initial
therapy.
• Eradication of H. pylori has greatly reduced these
recurrence rates.

• Gastric Ulcers
• occur later in life than duodenal lesions, with a peak
incidence reported in the sixth decade.
• >50% of GUs occur in males
• less common than DUs, due to the higher likelihood of
GUs being silent and presenting only after a
complication develops.
• similar incidence of DUs and GUs.

Pathology
• Duodenal Ulcers
• DUs occur most often in the first portion of the
duodenum (>95%),
• ~90% located within 3 cm of the pylorus.
• are usually 1 cm in diameter but can occasionally reach
3–6 cm (giant ulcer).
• Ulcers are sharply demarcated, with depth at times
reaching the muscularis propria.
• The base of the ulcer often consists of a zone of
eosinophilic necrosis with surrounding fibrosis.
• Malignant DUs are extremely rare.

• Gastric Ulcers
• In contrast to DUs, GUs can represent a malignancy and
should be biopsied upon discovery.
• Benign GUs are most often found distal to the junction
between the antrum and the acid secretory mucosa.
• Benign GUs are quite rare in the gastric fundus
• are histologically similar to DUs.
• Benign GUs associated with H. pylori are also associated
with antral gastritis.

• In contrast, NSAID-related GUs are not
accompanied by chronic active gastritis
• may have evidence of a chemical gastropathy,
typified by foveolar hyperplasia, edema of the
lamina propria, and epithelial regeneration in the
absence of H. pylori.

Pathophysiology
• Duodenal Ulcers
• H. pylori and NSAID-induced injury account for the
majority of DUs.
• average basal and nocturnal gastric acid secretion
appears to be increased in DU patients
• Gastric Ulcers
• As in DUs, the majority of GUs can be attributed to
either H. pylori or NSAID-induced mucosal damage.
• GUs that occur in the prepyloric area or those in the
body associated with a DU or a duodenal scar are similar
in pathogenesis to DUs.

H. Pylori and Acid Peptic Disorders
• Gastric infection with the bacterium H. pylori
accounts for the majority of PUD .
• plays a role in the development of gastric mucosa-
associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and
gastric adenocarcinoma.
• it is still not clear how H pylori, causes ulceration in
the duodenum, or whether its eradication will lead
to a decrease in gastric cancer.

NSAID-Induced Disease
•Prostaglandins play a critical role in
maintaining gastroduodenal mucosal
integrity and repair.
•interruption of prostaglandin synthesis
can impair mucosal defense and repair,
thus facilitating mucosal injury via a
systemic mechanism.
•to the gastric microcirculation plays an
essential role in the initiation of NSAID-
induced mucosal injury.

• Injury to the mucosa also occurs as a result of the
topical encounter with NSAIDs
• The interplay between H. pylori and NSAIDs in the
pathogenesis of PUD is complex
• each of these aggressive factors is independent and
synergistic risk factors for PUD and its
complications such as GI bleeding.
• eradication of H. pylori reduces the likelihood of GI
complications.

Clinical features
• Abdominal pain is common to many GI disorders,
including DU and GU; Epigastric pain described as a
burning or gnawing discomfort can be present in
both DU and GU
• Up to 10% of patients with NSAID-induced mucosal
disease can present with a complication (bleeding,
perforation, and obstruction) without antecedent
symptoms.
• The typical pain pattern in DU occurs 90 minutes to
3 hours after a meal and is frequently relieved by
antacids or food

• Pain that awakes the patient from sleep (between
midnight and 3 A.M.) is the most discriminating
symptom, is 66% due to DU
• Nausea and weight loss occur more commonly in
GU patients.
• Endoscopy detects ulcers in <30% of patients who
have dyspepsia.

Physical Examination
• Epigastric tenderness is the most frequent finding
in patients with GU or DU.
• Pain may be found to the right of the midline in
20% of patients
• Tachycardia and orthostasis suggest dehydration
secondary to vomiting or active GI blood loss.
• A severely tender, board like abdomen suggests a
perforation.
• Presence of a succussion splash indicates retained
fluid in the stomach, suggesting gastric outlet
obstruction.

PUD-Related Complications
• Gastrointestinal Bleeding
• Perforation
• Gastric Outlet Obstruction

Diagnostic Evaluation of PUD
• Documentation of an ulcer requires either a
radiographic (barium study) or an endoscopic
procedure.
• However, a large percentage of patients with
symptoms suggestive of an ulcer have NUD;
• empirical therapy is appropriate for individuals who
are otherwise healthy and <45 years of age, before
embarking on a diagnostic evaluation

Therapy of H. Pylori

• Failure of H. pylori eradication with triple therapy in
a compliant patient is usually due to infection with
a resistant organism.
• Quadruple therapy, where clarithromycin is
substituted for metronidazole (or vice versa),
should be the next step
• The combination of pantoprazole, amoxicillin, and
rifabutin for 10 days has also been used
successfully (86% cure rate) in patients infected
with resistant strains

•Additional regimens considered for
second-line therapy include
•levofloxacin-based triple therapy
(levofloxacin, amoxicillin, PPI) for 10
days
•furazolidone-based triple therapy
(furazolidone, amoxicillin, PPI) for 14
days

Therapy of NSAID-Related Gastric
or Duodenal Injury

Approach and Therapy
• if a patient <50 years of age present with dyspepsia
and without alarming signs or symptoms suggestive
of an ulcer complication or malignancy, an
empirical therapeutic trial with acid suppression is
recommended
• Once an ulcer (GU or DU) is documented, the main
issue at stake is whether H. pylori or an NSAID is
involved.
• With H. pylori present, independent of the NSAID
status, triple therapy is recommended for 14 days,
followed by continued acid-suppressing drugs (H2
receptor antagonist or PPIs) for a total of 4–6
weeks

• A GU that fails to heal after 12 weeks and a DU that
does not heal after 8 weeks of therapy should be
considered refractory.
• In relation to PUD
• Read
• Surgical management of PUD (Indications and
precautions)
• Afferent loop syndrome
• Dumping syndrome

Zollinger Ellison Syndrome (ZES)
• Severe peptic ulcer diathesis secondary to gastric
acid hypersecretion due to unregulated gastrin
release from a non- cell endocrine tumor
(gastrinoma) defines the components of ZES.
• it can be cured by surgical resection in up to 30% of
patients.

Epidemiology
• incidence of ZES varies from 0.1–1% of
individuals presenting with PUD.
• Males are more commonly affected than
females, and the majority of patients are
diagnosed between ages 30 and 50.
• Gastrinomas are classified into sporadic
tumors (more common) and those
associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia
(MEN) type I

• Availability and use of PPIs has led to a decreased
patient referral for gastrinoma evaluation, delay in
diagnosis, and an increase in false-positive
diagnoses of ZES.

Pathophysiology
•Hypergastrinemia originating from an
autonomous neoplasm is the driving
force responsible for the clinical
manifestations in ZES.
•Gastrin stimulates acid secretion
through gastrin receptors on parietal
cells and by inducing histamine release
from ECL cells.
•Gastrin also has a trophic action on
gastric epithelial cells.

•Long-standing hypergastrinemia leads
to markedly increased gastric acid
secretion through both parietal cell
stimulation and increased parietal cell
mass.
•The increased gastric acid output leads
to peptic ulcer diathesis, erosive
esophagitis, and diarrhea.

CFs
• Gastric acid hypersecretion is responsible for S&S
• Peptic ulcer is the most common clinical
manifestation, occurring in >90% of gastrinoma
patients.
• Initial presentation and ulcer location (duodenal
bulb) may be indistinguishable from common PUD.

• Clinical situations that should create
suspicion of gastrinoma:
• ulcers in unusual locations (second part of the
duodenum and beyond),
• ulcers refractory to standard medical therapy,
• ulcer recurrence after acid-reducing surgery,
• ulcers presenting with frank complications
(bleeding, obstruction, and perforation),
• ulcers in the absence of H. pylori or NSAID
ingestion.

• Diarrhea, common clinical manifestation in ZES, is
found in up to 50% of patients

Diarrhea in ZES, WHY?
• Etiology of the diarrhea is multifactorial, resulting
from
• marked volume overload to the small bowel,
• pancreatic enzyme inactivation by acid,
• damage of the intestinal epithelial surface by acid.
• The epithelial damage can lead to a mild degree of
maldigestion and malabsorption of nutrients.

•The diarrhea may also have a secretory
component
•This is due to
• the direct stimulatory effect of gastrin on
enterocytes
• the co-secretion of additional hormones
from the tumor e.g vasoactive intestinal
peptide (VIP)

Dx of ZES
• The first step in the evaluation of a patient
suspected of having ZES is to obtain a fasting
gastrin level.
• Fasting gastrin levels are usually <150 pg/mL
• all gastrinoma patients will have a gastrin
level >150–200 pg/mL.
• Measurement of fasting gastrin should be
repeated to confirm the clinical suspicion.

Causes of elevated fasting Gastrin levels
• gastric hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria (the most
frequent), with or without pernicious anemia;
• retained gastric antrum;
• G cell hyperplasia;
• gastric outlet obstruction;
• renal insufficiency;
• massive small-bowel obstruction;
• Others conditions e.g rheumatoid arthritis, vitiligo,
diabetes mellitus, and pheochromocytoma.
• in patients using antisecretory agents for the treatment
of acid peptic disorders and dyspepsia

Point to NOTE
• Fasting gastrin >10 times normal is highly
suggestive of ZES,
• two-thirds of patients will have fasting gastrin
levels that overlap with levels found in the
more common disorders outlined above.
• A BAO/MAO ratio >0.6 is highly suggestive of
ZES
• If the technology for measuring gastric acid
secretion is not available, a basal gastric pH 3
virtually excludes a gastrinoma.

• Once the biochemical diagnosis of gastrinoma has
been confirmed, the tumor must be located (Using
CT scan, ultra sound, MRI)

Tx of ZES
•AIMS
• ameliorating the signs and symptoms
related to hormone overproduction,
• curative resection of the neoplasm,
• control tumor growth in metastatic
disease.

• PPIs are the treatment of choice and have
decreased the need for total gastrectomy.
• Initial PPI doses tend to be higher than those used
for treatment of GERD or PUD.
• The initial dose of omeprazole, lansoprazole,
rabeprazole or esomeprazole should be in the
range of 60 mg in divided doses in a 24-hour period
• Surgery (Definitive tx)

Stress related mucosal injury
•Patients suffering from shock, sepsis,
massive burns, severe trauma, or head
injury can develop acute erosive gastric
mucosal changes or frank ulceration
with bleeding.
•Classified as stress-induced gastritis or
ulcers, injury is most commonly
observed in the acid-producing (fundus
and body) portions of the stomach.

•elevated gastric acid secretion may be
noted in patients with stress ulceration
after head trauma (Cushing's ulcer)
•Gastric secretion can also be noted in
severe burns (Curling's ulcer),
•Mucosal ischemia and breakdown of the
normal protective barriers of the
stomach also play an important role in
the pathogenesis.

Gastritis
• The term gastritis should be reserved for
histologically documented inflammation of the
gastric mucosa.
• Gastritis is not the mucosal erythema seen during
endoscopy and is not interchangeable with
"dyspepsia."
• The correlation between the histologic findings of
gastritis, the clinical picture of abdominal pain or
dyspepsia, and endoscopic findings noted on gross
inspection of the gastric mucosa is poor.
• Therefore, there is no typical clinical manifestation
of gastritis.

Acute Gastritis
• most common causes of acute gastritis are
infectious.
• Acute infection with H. pylori induces gastritis
• present with sudden onset of epigastric pain,
nausea, vomiting,
• limited mucosal histologic studies demonstrate a
marked infiltrate of neutrophils with edema and
hyperemia.
• If not treated, this picture will evolve into chronic
gastritis.
• Hypochlorhydria lasting for up to 1 year may follow
acute H. pylori infection.

• Bacterial infection of the stomach or phlegmonous
gastritis is a rare, potentially life-threatening
disorder characterized by marked and diffuse acute
inflammatory infiltrates of the entire gastric wall,
xterised by necrosis.
• Elderly individuals, alcoholics, and AIDS patients
may be affected by phlegmonous gastritis

Chronic Gastritis
• identified histologically by an inflammatory cell
infiltrate consisting primarily of lymphocytes and
plasma cells, with very scant neutrophil
involvement
• Chronic gastritis has been classified according to
histologic characteristics.
• These include
• superficial atrophic changes
• gastric atrophy.

Stages of chronic gastritis
• The early phase of chronic gastritis is superficial
gastritis
• inflammatory changes are limited to the lamina propria of the
surface mucosa, with edema and cellular infiltrates separating
intact gastric glands
• The next stage is atrophic gastritis. In this case the
inflammatory infiltrate extends deeper into the
mucosa, with progressive distortion and destruction of
the glands.
• The final stage of chronic gastritis is gastric atrophy. In
this case, glandular structures are lost, and there is
inflammatory infiltrates.
• Endoscopically, the mucosa may be substantially thin,
permitting clear visualization of the underlying blood vessels.

•Chronic gastritis is also classified
according to the predominant site of
involvement.
• Type A refers to the body-predominant
form (autoimmune)
• Type B is the antral-predominant form (H.
pylori–related).
• AB gastritis has been used to refer to a
mixed antral/body picture.

Tx of chronic gastritis
•Treatment in chronic gastritis is aimed
at the sequelae and not the underlying
inflammation.
•Patients with pernicious anemia will
require parenteral vitamin B12
supplementation on a long-term basis.
•Eradication of H. pylori is not routinely
recommended unless PUD or a low-
grade MALT lymphoma is present.

• HOME WORK
• MéNéTrier's Disease and TX
• Lymphocytic gastritis

Disorders of Absorption
• Constitute a broad spectrum of conditions with
multiple etiologies and varied clinical
manifestations.
• All of these clinical problems are associated with
diminished intestinal absorption of one or more
dietary nutrients and are often referred to as the
malabsorption syndrome.
• Malabsorption syndromes are associated with
steatorrhea which is:
• an increase in stool fat excretion of >6% of dietary fat
intake

• Disorders of absorption must be included in the
differential diagnosis of diarrhea .
• diarrhea is frequently associated with and/or is a
consequence of the diminished absorption of one
or more dietary nutrients.
• Diarrhea as a symptom (i.e., when used by patients
to describe their bowel movement pattern) may
mean;
• a decrease in stool consistency,
• an increase in stool volume,
• an increase in number of bowel movements,
• any combination of the above.

• In contrast, diarrhea as a sign is a quantitative
increase in stool water or weight of >200–225 mL
or gram per 24 h.

• Celiac Disease
• Tropical Sprue
• Short Bowel Syndrome
• Whipple's Disease
• Protein-Losing Enteropathy

Celiac Disease
• Common cause of malabsorption of one or more
nutrients.
• Celiac disease has had several other names,
including nontropical sprue, celiac sprue, adult
celiac disease, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy.
• The etiology of celiac disease is not known, but
environmental, immunologic, and genetic factors
are important.
• Individuals have manifestations that are not
obviously related to intestinal malabsorption, e.g.,
anemia, osteopenia, infertility, neurologic
symptoms

• The hallmark of celiac disease is the presence of an
abnormal small-intestinal biopsy and the response
of the condition—symptoms and the histologic
changes on the small-intestinal biopsy—to the
elimination of gluten from the diet.
• symptoms of celiac disease may appear with the
introduction of cereals in an infant's diet
• spontaneous remissions often occur during the
second decade of life that may be either
permanent or followed by the reappearance of
symptoms over several years.

Symptoms
• malabsorption of multiple nutrients,
• diarrhea,
• steatorrhea,
• weight loss,
• the consequences of nutrient depletion (i.e., anemia
and metabolic bone disease),
• absence of any gastrointestinal symptoms but with
evidence of the depletion of a single nutrient (e.g.,
iron or folate deficiency,
• osteomalacia,
• edema from protein loss).

Etiology
• The etiology of celiac disease is not known,
• but environmental, immunologic, and genetic
factors contribute to the disease.
• Environmental
• association of the disease with gliadin, a component of
gluten that is present in wheat, barley, and rye
• immunologic
• the pathogenesis of celiac disease is critical and involves
both adaptive and innate immune responses.
• Serum antibodies—IgA antigliadin, IgA antiendomysial,
and IgA anti-tTG antibodies—are present

• Genetic factor
• The incidence of symptomatic celiac disease varies
widely in different population groups (high in whites,
low in blacks and Asians) and is 10% in first-degree
relatives of celiac disease patients

Dx
• A small-intestinal biopsy
• A biopsy should be performed in patients with
symptoms and laboratory findings suggestive of
nutrient malabsorption and/or deficiency and
with a positive endomysial antibody test
• Diagnosis of celiac disease requires the
presence of characteristic histologic changes
on small-intestinal biopsy together with a
prompt clinical and histologic response
following the institution of a gluten-free diet

Failure to respond
• most common cause of persistent symptoms in
a patient who fulfills all the criteria for the
diagnosis of celiac disease is continued intake of
gluten.
• Use of rice in place of wheat flour is very helpful
• several support groups provide important aid to
patients with celiac disease and to their families.
• More than 90% of patients will respond to
complete dietary gluten restriction.

Mechanism of diarrhea in celiac
disease
• steatorrhea, which is primarily a result of the
changes in jejunal mucosal function
• steatorrhea, which is primarily a result of the
changes in jejunal mucosal function
• bile acid malabsorption resulting in bile acid–
induced fluid secretion in the colon,
• endogenous fluid secretion resulting from crypt
hyperplasia

• most important complication of celiac disease is
the development of cancer

Tropical Sprue
• a poorly understood syndrome that affects both
expatriates and natives in certain but not all
tropical areas
• is manifested by
• chronic diarrhea,
• steatorrhea,
• weight loss,
• nutritional deficiencies, including those of both folate
and cobalamin.
• This disease affects 5–10% of the population in
some tropical areas.

• Chronic diarrhea in a tropical environment is
caused by infectious agents
• G. lamblia,
• Yersinia enterocolitica,
• C. difficile,
• Cryptosporidium parvum,
• Cyclospora cayetanensis

dx
•best made by the presence of an
abnormal small-intestinal
mucosal biopsy in an individual
with chronic diarrhea and
evidence of malabsorption who is
either residing or has recently
lived in a tropical country

•Small-intestinal biopsy in
tropical sprue does not
have pathognomonic
features but resembles,
and can often be
indistinguishable from,
that seen in celiac disease

tx
•Broad-spectrum antibiotics and folic
acid are most often curative,
especially if the patient leaves the
tropical area and does not return.
•Tetracycline should be used for up to
6 months and may be associated
with improvement within 1–2 weeks.

•Folic acid alone will induce a
hematologic remission as well as
improvement in appetite, weight gain,
and some morphologic changes in small
intestinal biopsy.
•Because of the presence of marked
folate deficiency, folic acid is most often
given together with antibiotics.

Short Bowel Syndrome
•Represents myriad clinical
problems that occur following
resection of varying lengths of
small intestine;
•may be congenital, e.g.,
microvillous inclusion disease.

Factors that determine symptoms
• the specific segment (jejunum vs. ileum) resected,
• the length of the resected segment,
• the integrity of the ileocecal valve,
• whether any large intestine has also been removed,
• residual disease in the remaining small and/or large
intestine (e.g., Crohn's disease, mesenteric artery
disease),
• the degree of adaptation in the remaining intestine

• Short bowel syndrome can occur at any age from
neonates through the elderly.
• Intestinal failure is the inability to maintain
nutrition without parenteral support.

Tx
• Depends on the severity of symptoms
• Also dependes on whether the individual is able to
maintain caloric and electrolyte balance with oral
intake alone.
• Initial treatment includes judicious use of opiates
(including codeine) to reduce stool output and to
establish an effective diet.
• An initial diet should be low-fat and high-
carbohydrate to minimize the diarrhea from fatty
acid stimulation of colonic fluid secretion

Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome
• comprises a group of disorders with
• diarrhea,
• steatorrhea,
• macrocytic anemia
• Common feature is the proliferation of colonic-type
bacteria within the small intestine
• bacterial proliferation is due to stasis caused by
impaired peristalsis (functional stasis),
changes in intestinal anatomy (anatomic stasis),
direct communication between the small and large
intestine.

•These conditions have also
been referred to as
stagnant bowel syndrome
or blind loop syndrome.

dX
•The diagnosis may be suspected
from the combination of a low
serum cobalamin level and an
elevated serum folate level, as
enteric bacteria frequently produce
folate compounds that will be
absorbed in the duodenum.

tX
• Surgical correction of an anatomic blind loop
• For functional stasis of scleroderma or certain
anatomic stasis states (e.g., multiple jejunal
diverticula) be treated with broad-spectrum
antibiotics.
• Tetracycline challenged with high resistance, other
antibiotics such as metronidazole,
amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and cephalosporins
have been employed.
• The antibiotic should be given for approximately 3
weeks or until symptoms remit

Whipple's Disease
•Its a chronic multisystem
disease associated with
diarrhea, steatorrhea, weight
loss, arthralgia, and central
nervous system (CNS) and
cardiac problems; it is caused
by the bacteria Tropheryma
whipple03/10/2017 Bachelor of Clinical Medicine 128

Cfs
•diarrhea,
•steatorrhea,
•abdominal pain,
•weight loss,
•migratory large-joint arthropathy,
•fever
•ophthalmologic and CNS symptoms.

Dx
• History
• tissue biopsies from the small intestine and/or
other organs that may be involved (e.g., liver,
lymph nodes, heart, eyes, CNS, or synovial
membranes), based on the patient's symptoms, is
the primary approach to establish the diagnosis of
Whipple's disease.

Tx
•prolonged use of antibiotics.
•The current drug of choice is
double-strength
trimethoprim/sulfamethoxaz
ole for approximately 1 year.

•Read PLE (Protein Loosing
enteropathy)
•Presentation
•Dx
•management

The Schilling Test
•Performed to determine the cause for
cobalamin malabsorption
•Cobalamin absorption may be
abnormal in the following:
•Pernicious anemia,
•Chronic pancreatitis
•Achlorhydria, .
•Bacterial overgrowth syndromes,
•Ileal dysfunction

• The Schilling test is performed by
administering cobalamin orally and collecting
urine for 24 h,
• it is dependent on normal renal and bladder
function.
• Urinary excretion of cobalamin will reflect
cobalamin absorption provided that
intrahepatic binding sites for cobalamin are
fully occupied.

•The Schilling test may be
abnormal (usually defined as
<10% excretion in 24 h) in
•pernicious anemia,
•chronic pancreatitis,
•blind loop syndrome,
•ileal disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease
•Inflammatory bowel disease
(IBD) is an immune-mediated
chronic intestinal condition.
•Types
•Ulcerative colitis (UC)
•Crohn's disease (CD).

Ulcerative colitis
•The major symptoms of UC
are:
diarrhea,
rectal bleeding,
tenesmus,
passage of mucus,
crampy abdominal pain

•Severity of symptoms correlates with the
extent of disease.
•UC can present acutely,
•symptoms usually have been present for
weeks to months.
•Occasionally, diarrhea and bleeding are
so intermittent and mild that the patient
does not seek medical attention.

Laboratory, Endoscopic, and
Radiographic Features
• rise in
• acute-phase reactants [C-reactive protein (CRP)],
• platelet count,
• erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),
• a decrease in hemoglobin.
• Fecal lactoferrin is a highly sensitive and specific
marker for detecting intestinal inflammation.
• Fecal calprotectin levels correlate well with
histologic inflammation, predict relapses, and
detect pouchitis

• Sigmoidoscopy is used to assess disease activity
and is usually performed before treatment
• The earliest radiologic change of UC seen on
single-contrast barium enema is a fine mucosal
granularity.
• With increasing severity, the mucosa becomes
thickened, and superficial ulcers are seen.
• Deep ulcerations can appear as "collar-button"
ulcers, which indicate that the ulceration has
penetrated the mucosa

Complications
• Massive haemorrhage
• Toxic megacolon
• defined as a transverse or right colon with a diameter of
>6 cm, with loss of haustration in patients with severe
attacks of UC
• toxic colitis (risk of perforation)
• Strictures
• Anal fissures
• perianal abscesses,
• hemorrhoids

Crohn's Disease
• Read and make notes
• Classification
• Dx
• Investigationd
• Management
• Prevention
• Nutrition
• drugs

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
•A functional bowel disorder
characterized by abdominal
pain or discomfort and
altered bowel habits in the
absence of detectable
structural abnormalities

Cfs
•Abdominal Pain
•Altered bowel habits
•Gas and Flatulence
•Upper Gastrointestinal
Symptoms
•Dyspepsia, heart burn, nausea,
vomitting

Approach to the Patient
•diagnosis relies on recognition of
positive clinical features and
elimination of other organic
diseases
•A careful history and physical
examination are frequently helpful
in establishing the diagnosis

•Clinical features suggestive of IBS
include the following:
• recurrence of lower abdominal pain with
altered bowel habits over a period of time
without progressive deterioration,
• onset of symptoms during periods of
stress or emotional upset,
• absence of other systemic symptoms such
as fever and weight l`oss, and small-
volume stool without any evidence of
blood

• Investigate to rule out common causes (ddx)

tx
•Reassurance and careful explanation of
the functional nature of the disorder
and of how to avoid obvious food
precipitants are important first steps in
patient counseling and dietary change.
•Dietary history may reveal substances
(such as coffee, disaccharides, legumes,
and cabbage) that aggravate symptoms.

Specific tx agents
• Stool-Bulking Agents
• High-fiber diets and bulking agents, such as bran or
hydrophilic colloid, are frequently used in treating IBS
• Antispasmodics
• anticholinergic drugs may provide temporary relief for
symptoms such as painful cramps related to intestinal
spasm (hyoscine butylbromide)
• Antidiarrheal Agents
• loperamide, 2–4 mg every 4–6 h up to a maximum of 12
g/d, can be prescribed

• Antidepressant Drugs
• antidepressant medications have several physiologic
effects that suggest they may be beneficial in IBS
• Antiflatulence Therapy
• Patients should be advised to eat slowly and not chew
gum or drink carbonated beverages
• Avoiding flatogenic foods, exercising, losing excess
weight, and taking activated charcoal
• Modulation of Gut Flora
• neomycin dosed at 500 mg twice daily for 10 days
• rifaximin 400 mg three times daily

• Chloride Channel Activators
• Oral lubiprostone
• Serotonin Receptor Agonist and Antagonists

LIVER AND BILLARY
TRACT DISEASES
Unit 2 of GI medicine

Approach to pt
•A diagnosis of liver disease
usually can be made
accurately via
•a careful history,
•physical examination,
•application of a few laboratory
tests

•In some circumstances, radiologic
examinations are helpful
•Liver biopsy is considered the
criterion standard in evaluation of
liver disease but is now needed less
for diagnosis than for grading and
staging of disease.

Liver structure and function
•liver is the largest organ of the body
•weighing 1–1.5 kg and representing 1.5–
2.5% of the lean body mass
•located in the right upper quadrant of the
abdomen under the right lower rib cage
against the diaphragm
•held in place by ligamentous attachments
to the diaphragm, peritoneum, great
vessels, and upper gastrointestinal organs

•majority of cells in the liver are
hepatocytes, which constitute 2/3 of
the mass of the liver
•The remaining cell types (1/3) are
• Kupffer cells (members of the
reticuloendothelial system),
• stellate (Ito or fat-storing) cells,
• endothelial cells and blood vessels,
• bile ductular cells,
• supporting structures

Function of hepatocytes
• synthesis of essential serum proteins (albumin,
carrier proteins, coagulation factors,hormonal
and growth factors),
• production of bile and its carriers (bile acids,
cholesterol, lecithin, phospholipids),
• regulation of nutrients (glucose, glycogen,
lipids, cholesterol, amino acids),
• metabolism and conjugation of lipophilic
compounds (bilirubin, anions, cations, drugs)
for excretion in the bile or urine.

• Liver function tests (LFTs) are based on these
functions
• The most commonly used liver "function"
tests are measurements of serum bilirubin,
albumin, and prothrombin time
• The serum bilirubin level is a measure of hepatic
conjugation and excretion,
• the serum albumin level and prothrombin time
are measures of protein synthesis.
• Abnormalities of bilirubin, albumin, and
prothrombin time are typical of hepatic
dysfunction

Liver Diseases
• Usually classified as
• hepatocellular,
• cholestatic (obstructive),
• mixed.
• In hepatocellular diseases (such as viral hepatitis or
alcoholic liver disease), features of liver injury,
inflammation, and necrosis predominate
• In cholestatic diseases (such as gallstone or
malignant obstruction, primary biliary cirrhosis,
some drug-induced liver diseases), features of
inhibition of bile flow predominate.
• In a mixed pattern, features of both hepatocellular
and cholestatic injury are present.03/10/2017 Bachelor of Clinical Medicine 160

NB:
•The pattern of onset and
prominence of symptoms can
rapidly suggest a diagnosis
•This is so if major risk factors are
considered such as the age and sex
of the patient and a history of
exposure or risk behaviors.

Symptoms of liver disease
•jaundice,
•fatigue,
•itching,
•right upper quadrant pain,
•nausea,
•poor appetite,
•abdominal distention,
•intestinal bleeding.

Evaluation of pt
• should be directed at
establishing the etiologic diagnosis,
estimating the disease severity (grading),
establishing the disease stage (staging).
• Diagnosis should focus on the category of disease such
as hepatocellular, cholestatic, or mixed injury, as well as
on the specific etiologic diagnosis
• Grading refers to assessing the severity or activity of
disease—active or inactive, and mild, moderate, or
severe
• Staging refers to estimating the place in the course of
the natural history of the disease, acute/chronic; early
or late; precirrhotic, cirrhotic, or end-stage

Clinical History
•should focus on the symptoms of liver
disease—their nature, patterns of onset, and
progression—and on potential risk factors
for liver disease
•The symptoms of liver disease are grouped
• Constitutional symptoms
• fatigue, weakness, nausea, poor appetite, and
malaise
• Liver-specific symptoms
• jaundice, dark urine, light stools, itching, abdominal
pain, and bloating

Fatigue
• most common and most characteristic symptom of
liver disease
• It is variously described as lethargy, weakness,
listlessness, malaise, increased need for sleep, lack
of stamina, and poor energy
• The fatigue of liver disease typically arises after
activity or exercise and is rarely present or severe in
the morning after adequate rest (afternoon versus
morning fatigue).
• Fatigue in liver disease is often intermittent and
variable in severity from hour to hour and day to
day

Nausea
• Occurs with more severe liver disease and may
accompany fatigue or be provoked by odors of food
or eating fatty foods.
• Vomiting can occur but is rarely persistent or
prominent.
• Poor appetite with weight loss occurs commonly in
acute liver diseases but is rare in chronic disease,
except when cirrhosis is present and advanced
• Diarrhea is uncommon in liver disease,
• except with severe jaundice, where lack of bile acids
reaching the intestine can lead to steatorrhea.

Right upper quadrant discomfort
• The pain arises from stretching or irritation of
Glisson's capsule, which surrounds the liver and is
rich in nerve endings
• Severe pain is most typical of
• gallbladder disease,
• liver abscess,
• severe venoocclusive
• acute hepatitis.

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