NEET MDS Lessons
General Pathology
Roseola
- alias exanthem subitum; caused by Herpes virus type 6.
- children 6 months to 2 years old; spring and fall; incubation 10-15 days.
- sudden onset of a high fever with absence of physical findings; febrile convulsions are particularly common.
- fever falls by crisis on the 3rd or 4th day → 48 hours after temperature returns to normal macular or maculopapular rash starting on the trunk and spreading centrifugally.
1. Human papillomavirus types 6 and 11 → condyloma acuminta (venereal warts).
2. Molluscum contagiosum is characterized by a bowl shaped lesion filled with keratin, the latter containing the viral inclusions (molluscum bodies) in the squamous cells.
Cholecystitis
It is inflammation of the gall bladder. It may be acute or chronic.
In 80-90% of cases, it is associated with gall stones (Calcular cholecystis).
Causes and pathogenesis:-
Obstruction of cystic or common bile duct- By stones, strictures, pressure from the outside, tumors etc.
Obstruction , chemical irritation of the gall bladder, Secondary bacterial infection, stone formation, trauma to the wall of gall
bladder
Secondary bacterial infection
Usually by intestinal commensals E.coli, streptococcus fecalis. They reach the gall bladder by lymphatics.
S.typhi reaches the gall bladder after systemic infection
Acute cholecystitis
Gall bladder is enlarged edematous and fiery red in color.
- Wall is edematous, hyperemic, may show abscesses or gangrenous dark brown or green or black foci which may perforate.
Serous covering show fibrinosuppurative inflammation and exudation. Mucosa is edematous, hyperemic and ulcerated.
- If associated with stones, obstruction results in accumulation of pus leading to Empyaema of the gall bladder.
Fate:- Healing by fibrosis and adhesions.
Complications:-
- Pericholecystic abscess.
- Rupture leading to acute peritonitis.
- Ascending suppurative cholangitis and liver abscess
Chronic cholecystitis
May follow Acute cholecystitis or starts chronic. Gall stones are usually present.
Pathology
1. If associated with obstruction: Gall bladder is dilated. Wall may be thickened or thinned out. Contents may be clear, turbid or purulent.
2. If not associated with obstruction: - Gall bladder is contracted, wall is markedly thickened.
3. Serosa is smooth with fibrous adhesions. Draining lymph nodes are enlarged.
4. Wall is thickened, opaque and gray-white with red tinge.
5. Mucosa is gray- red with ulcerations and pouches.
6. Stones are usually present
Nephrotic Syndrome
The patient will present with a triad of symptoms:
- Proteinuria, i.e. >3g/24hr-3.5g/24 hr
- Hypoalbuminaemia, i.e. <30g/L
- Oedema
>80% of cases are due to glomerulonephritis. In this syndrome, there is damage to podocytes
Clinical signs
- Pitting oedema, particularly in the limbs and around the eyes; may also cause genital oedema and ascites.
- Possible hypertension
Causes
- Primary causes – these are diagnoses of exclusion that are only made if secondary causes cannot be found
o Minimal change disease (MCD)
o Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
o Membranous nephropathy
- Secondary causes – note that these fall into the same three categories as above:
o Minimal change disease – Hep B, SLE, diabetes M, sarcoidosis, syphilis, malignancy
o Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis –HIV, obesity, diabetes M, hypertensive nephrosclerosis
o Minimal change disease –drugs, malignancy, particularly Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Differential diagnoses include cardiac failure, i.e. increased JVP, pulmonary oedema and mild proteinuria, and liver disease, i.e. reduced serum albumin.
- The condition causes an increased susceptibility to infection – partly due to loss of immunoglobulin in the urine. Patients tend to be prone to streptococcus infection, as well as bacterial peritonitis and cellulitis.
- Nephrotic syndrome also increases the risk of thromboembolism and hyperlipidaemia.
- The former is due to an increase in the synthesis of clotting factors and to platelet abnormalities, and the latter is a result of increased synthesis of these by the liver to counteract reduced oncotic pressure.
Investigations
- These are the same as those carried out in GN.
- Also, check for cholesterol as part of confirming the presence of hyperlipidemia.
- Renal biopsy – order this for all adults. In children, because the main cause is minimal change GN, steroids are the first-line treatment. Therefore, in children, biopsy is necessary only if pharmaceutical intervention fails to improve the situation.
- The hypercoagulant state seen in the nephrotic syndrome can be a risk factor for renal vein thrombosis. This can present as loin pain, haematuria, palpable kidney and sudden deterioration in kidney function. This should be investigated with Doppler USS, MRI or even renal angiography.
- Once diagnosed, give warfarin for 3 to 6 months.
Management
- Generally, this involves treatment of the underlying condition which is usually GN. Therefore, fluid management and salt intake restriction are priorities. The patient is usually given furosemide along with an ACE inhibitor and/or an angiotensin II receptor antagonist. Prophylactic heparin is given if the patient is immobile. Hyperlipidaemia can be treated with a statin.
Nephritic Syndrome
Acute and chronic
forms of the syndrome exist. The main difference between this and nephrotic syndrome is that in nephritic syndrome haematuria is present. There is also proteinuria, hypertension, uraemia, and possibly oliguria. The two standout features are hypertension and RBC casts. The urine will often appear ‘smoky’ in colour due to the presence of RBC casts. Very rarely, it may appear red
Causes
1. Post-streptococcal
2. Primary:
- Membranous glomerulonephritis
- Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis
- IgA nephropathy (Berger’s disease)
3. Secondary
- HSP
- Vasculitis
Clinical Features
- Abrupt onset of :
o Glomerular haematuria (RBC casts or dysmorphic RBC)
o Non-nephrotic range proteinuria (< 2 g in 24 hrs)
o Oedema (periorbital, sacral )
o Hypertension
o Transient renal impairment (oliguria, uraemia)
- Urinary casts – these are cylindrical structures produced by the kidney and present in the urine in certain renal diseases. They form in the DCT and collecting duct, dislodging and passing in the urine where they are detected by microscopy. RBC casts are usually associated with nephritic syndrome. The presence of RBCs within a cast is always pathologic and strongly indicative of glomerular damage.
- The proteinuria present is often smaller than in nephrotic syndrome, thus a coexistent condition of nephrotic syndrome is not usually present.
- Encepelopathy may be present, particularly in children, due to electrolyte imbalances and hypertension. This type of presentation is indicative of glomerular damage, but requires renal biopsy to determine the exact problem. In this respect it is similar to nephrotic syndrome.
Overlapping of the two syndromes is possible as nephrotic syndrome may precede nephritic syndrome, although not vice-versa.
Mechanisms of the syndrome vary according to cause; both primary and secondary causes exist. Post-infectious GN is the classic illustration of nephritic syndrome, but the condition may be caused by other glomerulopathies and by systemic diseases such as connective tissue disorders
Two clinical terms to remember:
- Nephritic syndrome; which comprises edema, proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, hematuria (smoky urine), oligurua and hypertension.
- Nephrotic syndrome; which comprises of albuminuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema, hyperlipidemia, lipiduria.
German measles (rubella)
- sometimes called "three day measles".
- incubation 14-21 days; infectious 7 days before the rash and 14 days after the onset of the rash.
- in adults, rubella present with fever, headache, and painful postauricular Lymphadenopathy 1 to 2 days prior to the onset of rash, while in children, the rash is usually the first sign.
- rash (vasculitis) consists of tiny red to pink macules (not raised) that begins on the head and spreads downwards and disappears over the ensuing 1-3 days; rash tends to become confluent.
- 1/3rd of young women develop arthritis due to immune-complexes.
- splenomegaly (50%)
STOMACH
Congenital malformations
1. Pyloric stenosis
Clinical features. Projectile vomiting 3-4 weeks after birth associated with a palpable "olive" mass in the epigastric region is observed.
Pathology shows hypertrophy of the muscularis of the pylorus and failure to relax.
2. Diaphragmatic hernias are due to weakness in or absence of parts of the diaphragm, allowing herniation of the abdominal contents into the thorax.
Inflammation
1. Acute gastritis (erosive)
Etiology. Alcohol, aspirin and other NSAIDs, smoking, shock, steroids, and uremia may all cause disruption of the mucosal barrier, leading to inflammation.
Clinical features. Patients experience heartburn, epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, hematemesis, and even melena.
2. Chronic gastritis (nonerosive) may lead to atrophic mucosa with lymphocytic infiltration.
Types
(1) Fundal (Type A) gastritis is often autoimmune in origin. It is the type associated with pernicious anemia and, therefore, achlorhydria and intrinsic factor deficiency.
(2) Antral (Type B) gastritis is most commonly caused by Helicobacter pylori and is the most common form of chronic gastritis in the U.S. H. pylori is also responsible for proximal duodenitis in regions of gastric metaplasia.
Clinical features. The patient may be asymptomatic or suffer epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, and bleeding. Gastritis may predispose to peptic ulcer disease, probably related to H. pylori infection.
3. Peptic ulcers
Peptic ulcers are usually chronic, isolated ulcers observed in areas bathed by pepsin and HCI; they are the result of mucosal breakdown
Common locations are the proximal duodenum, the stomach, and the esophagus, often in areas of Barrett's esophagus.
Etiology. There are several important etiologic factors.
Duodenal ulcers occur predominantly in patients with excess acid secretion, while gastric ulcers usually occur in patients with lower than average acid secretion.
Other predisposing conditions include smoking, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, hyperparathyroidism, and H. pylori infection. Aspirin, steroids, and NSAlDs are known to be assoicated with peptic ulcer disease. Next to H. pylori colonization, aspirin or NSAID ingestion is the most common cause of peptic ulcer.
Clinical features. Patients experience episodic epigastric pain. Duodenal and most gastric ulcers are relieved by food or antacids. Approximately one-fifth of gastric ulcer patients get no relief from eating or experience pain again within 30 minutes.
Pathology. Benign peptic ulcers are well-circumscribed lesions with a loss of the mucosa, underlying scarring, and sharp walls.
Complications include hemorrhage, perforation, obstruction, and pain. Duodenal ulcers do not become malignant .Gastric ulcers do so only rarely; those found to be ma1ignant likely originated as a cancer that ulcerated.
Diagnosis is made by upper gastrointestinal Series , endoscopy, and biopsy to rule out malignancy or to demonstrate the presence of H. pylori.
4. Stress ulcers
are superficial mucosal ulcers of the stomach or duodenum or both. Stress may be induced by burns, sepsis shock, trauma, or increased intracranial pressure.
Tumors
1. Benign
a. Leiomyoma, often multiple, is the most common benign neoplasm of the stomach. Clinical features include bleeding, pain, and iron deficiency anemia.
b. Gastric polyps are due to proliferation of the mucosal epithelium.
2. Malignant tumors
a. Carcinoma
Etiology. Primary factors include genetic predisposition and diet; other factors include hypochlorhydria, pernicious anemia, atrophic gastritis, adenomatous polyps, and exposure to nitrosamines. H. pylori are also implicated.
Clinical features. Stomach cancer is usually asymptomatic until late, then presents with anorexia, weight loss, anemia, epigastric pain, and melena. Virchow's node is a common site of metastasis.
Pathology. Symptomatic late gastric carcinoma may be expanding or infiltrative. In both cases the prognosis is poor (approximately 10% 5-year survival), and metastases are frequently present at the time of diagnosis.
Adenocarcinomas are most common.
b. Gastrointestinal lymphomas may be primary In the gastrointestinal tract as solitary masses.
c. Sarcoma is a rare, large, ulcerating mass that extends into the lumen.
d. Metastatic carcinoma. Krukenberg's tumor is an ovaria metastasis from a gastric carcinoma.
e. Kaposi's sarcoma. The stomach is the most commonly involved GI organ in Kaposi's sarcoma. It primarily occurs in homosexual men, appearing as hemorrhagic polypoid, umbilicated nodular lesions, typically in a submucosal location. It rarely causes symptoms
Diagnostic techniques used in pathology
The pathologist uses the following techniques to the diagnose diseases:
a. Histopathology
b. Cytopathology
c. Hematopathology
d. Immunohistochemistry
e. Microbiological examination
f. Biochemical examination
g. Cytogenetics
h. Molecular techniques
i. Autopsy