GIT II. Clinicopathologic correlates

  • Clinical manifestations of GI disease are closely related to its STRUCTURE and FUNCTION.

  • Structure
    - Hollow organ – diseases cause ulceration, perforation, obstructions, bleeding
    - Long tubular segments with attached adipose tissue –> possibility of mechanical twisting or telescoping 

  • Function 
    - Responsible for absorption of ingested nutrients and excretion of waste – hence nutritional deficiencies can occur

 

Cardinal symptoms and signs:

  • Abdominal or chest pain – due to inflammation, obstruction (colic)
    • Altered ingestion of food – nausea, vomiting, dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), or
  • anorexia (lack of appetite)
  • Altered bowel movements – diarrhoea or constipation
    • Bleeding – Acute or chronic
    • - Acute GI bleed can result in severe blood loss and hypotensive shock
      •                - Some characteristics of the bleeding / blood provide clues as to source 
      • (upper vs lower GIT)
        • - Chronic bleed results more in anaemia – eg. fatigue, pallor, shortness of breath

Complications:

Acute

  • Dehydration – if the GIT is not able to absorb water properly (this is a systemic condition
  • arising from a GIT condition)
  • Sepsis
  • Hypotensive shock from GI bleeding

 

Chronic

  • Malabsorption(malnutrition, deficiency states)
  • Obstruction

 

 MINDMAPS: 

I. Big Picture – Clinicopathologic correlates