Gastroenteritis

Disease class: Gastrointestinal diseases

Types

• Appendicitis
• Cholera morbus 
• Colitis
• Diverticular diseases 
• Dysentery 
• Enteritis 
• Enterocolitis
• Oesophagitis
• Gastritis 
• Inflammatory bowel diseases 
• Mucositis 
• Proctitis 
• Typhlitis

Gastroenteritis refers to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, mainly the stomach and small intestines.

 

Symptoms

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Fever 
• Abdominal pain 
• Fatigue 

 

Infectious causes

Viral 

• Norovirus
• Rotavirus 
• Adenovirus
• Astrovirus

Bacterial 

• Bacillus cereus 
• Campylobacter jejuni  
• Clostridium difficile  
• Escherichia coli O157:H7
• Escherichia coli O104:H4
• Salmonella bongori subspecies : Salmonellosis
• Salmonella enterica subspecies : Salmonellosis
• Shigella species : Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) 
• Staphylococcus aureus  
• Vibrio cholerae : Cholera morbus 

Protozoal

• Entamoeba species, often E. histolytica : Amoebiasis (amoebic dysentery)
• Giardia lamblia : Giardiasis

Chromistal

• Cryptosporidium species : Cryptosporidiosis 

Non-infectious causes 

• Drug reactions (e.g. NSAIDS)

Peptic ulcer haemorrhage

Disease class: Gastrointestinal haemorrhage

Causes

• Peptic ulcer disease

Gastrointestinal haemorrhage

Disease class: Gastrointestinal diseases

Types

• Haematemesis 
• Melena 
• Haematochezia 
• Peptic ulcer haemorrhage

Portal hypertension

Organ system: The digestive system

Organ: The liver

Disease class:  Liver diseases

 

Causes

• Cirrhosis

 

Complications

• Gastrointestinal haemorrhage

 

Management

• Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt

Liver failure

Disease class: Hepatic insufficiency

 

Types

• End stage liver disease
• Hepatic encephalopathy
• liver failure, Acute

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Disease class: Pancreatic diseases

Pathogenesis

The pancreas has a vital secretory function in the digestive system. If this exocrine function is impaired, sufficient digestion cannot occur.

 

Causes

• Chronic pancreatitis
• Cystic fibrosis 
• Pancreatectomy

 

Management

• Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT)

Short Bowel Syndrome

Disease class: Malabsorption syndromes

Also known as 

• SBS
• Short gut

 

Pathophysiology

The small intestine varies in length from 2.75m to 10.49m. The average length is 6.1m. Short bowel syndrome usually develops when there is less than 2m of working bowel.
In SBS, the deficiency in intestinal function is so extensive that nutrients, water, and electrolytes are not sufficiently absorbed.  It is the most common cause of intestinal failure.

 

Causes

This is usually the result of enterectomy (surgical bowel resection).
This can be necessary treatment for:

• Crohn's disease
• Necrotising enterocolitis

Rarely this is a congenital disease.

 

Signs and symptoms

• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhoea 
• Steatorrhoea
• Fluid depletion
• Weight loss
• Malnutrition
• Fatigue

 

Complications 

• Vitamin B9 deficiency
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Iron deficiency anaemia
• Vitamin A deficiency
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Vitamin E deficiency
• Vitamin K deficiency 
• Calcium deficiency
• Magnesium deficiency
• Zinc deficiency

Pancreatitis

Disease class: Pancreatic diseases

Types

• pancreatitis, Acute necrotising
• pancreatitis, Alcoholic
• pancreatitis, Chronic
• pancreatitis, Graft

This refers to inflammation of the pancreas.

 

Investigations

• Amylase

Chronic pancreatitis

This refers to long-term ongoing pancreatitis.

 

Causes

• Long-term, excessive alcohol consumption (70-80% of cases)
• Autoimmune pancreatitis
• Idiopathic (10-30%)

 

Symptoms

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea

 

Complications

• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency