Physiology Ellie was a high-school student who found herself in an extraordinari
ID: 3514935 • Letter: P
Question
Physiology
Ellie was a high-school student who found herself in an extraordinarily stressful situation. An excellent student, she was in the midst of applying to academically rigorous colleges while her family life continued to deteriorate. For six months, she had suffered from increasingly intense abdominal pain. It was high in her abdomen and came at times when her stomach was relatively empty. A typical episode would last for several hours. Sometimes she could continue her usual activities, but sometimes she was unable to remain in school or continue to study. Her physician learned little more from her physical examination, only that part of her abdomen was slightly tender to pressure. Routine screening tests were similarly unhelpful.
Only a few years ago, Ellie would have been diagnosed as having "acid peptic disease" due to too much acid secretion secondary to stress. But recent publications led her physician to order a blood test for antibodies to the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. The test came back positive. Subsequent endoscopy showed that she did not have a peptic ulcer but her stomach lining was rough and irritated. The presence in her stomach of H. pylori was established by biopsy. Ellie was treated with antimicrobial drugs to eliminate H. pylori and medication called a proton pump inhibitor to suppress all the acid production while treating the bacteria. Within a few weeks her abdominal pain disappeared, and she finished her senior year without further absences.
1. Helicobacter infection can progress beyond gastritis to cause peptic ulcers. What is an ulcer? What is the structure and function of the digestive tract which accounts for the fact that peptic ulcers may occur in the esophagus and duodenum as well as the stomach?
2. Similarly, how could a peptic ulcer cause anemia or peritonitis?
Explanation / Answer
Ans 1...
Ulcer...ulcer is a general term.which means an open sore on an external or internal surface of the body caused by break in skin or mucus membrane which fails to heal. Here ulcer is nothing but break in mucosa which fails to heal.
If we go structurally there is a common point between the lower part of oesophagus,stomach and duodonum.the mucosa is columnar epithelium which is not so much resistant as the stratified squamous layer.so comparing to other sites these sites are more likley to get ulcer.
Mucosal layer is just a contributing factor.main factor towards causing ulcer lies in the function.stomach secretes acid of ph less than 2 and also a protective layer of bicarbonate and mucin so that this acid doesn't come in contact with mucosa of stomach and the structure in contact like lower part of oesophagus and duodoneu.if there is defect in this protetivep layer there will develop an ulcer.
Ans 2...peptic ulcer can cause anemia .....peptic ulcer leads to internal bleeding which causes anemia
Peptic ulcer when severe can leads to perforation of gut through which the content come.out in peritoneum and can cause perotinitis.