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General Pathology

Microbiological examination

 This is a method by which body fluids, excised tissue, etc. are examined by microscopical, cultural and serological techniques to identify micro-organisms Microbiological examination responsible for many diseases.

SHOCK

Definition. It is a clinical state of acute inadequacy of perfusion to tissues due to fall in effective circulating blood volume.

This inadequacy can be caused by :

  • Increased vascular capacity
  • Decreased blood volume
  • Altered distribution of available blood
  • Defective pumping system

Causes:

(1) Hypovolemic

  • Massive hamorrhage (external or  internal).
  • Loss of plasma as in bums.
  • Dehydration due to severe vomiting, diarrhea  diabetic coma.
  • Generalized capillary permeability as in anaphylaxis.

 (2) Cardiogenic

  • Myocardial infarction.
  • Pulmonary embolism.
  • Cardiac tamponade

(3) Peripheral pooling:

  • Endotoxic shock.
  • Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

(4) Neurogenic:

  • Syncope.
  • Contributory factor in trauma, bums etc.

Metabolic changes in shock

  • Hyperglycaemia due to glycogenolysis.
  • Increased blood lactate and pyruvate due to anaerobic glycolysis. This results in metabolic acidosis.
  • Protein catabolism and increased  blood urea.
  • Interference with enzyme systems.

 Organs involved in shock

(1) Kidneys:

  • Renal tubular necrosis.
  • Cortical necrosis.

(2) Lungs:

  • Oedema, congestion and haemorrhage.
  • Microthrombi.

(3) G.I.T. :

  • Mucosal oedema.
  • Ulceration and haemorrhage

(4) Degeneration and focal necrosis in:

  • Heart.
  • Liver.
  • Adrenals

(5) Anoxic encephalopathy

LARGE INTESTINE (COLON) 

Congenital anomalies 

1. Hirschsprung's disease produces a markedly distended colon, usually proximal to the rectum. Caused by a section of aganglionic colon, which failed to develop normally due to the absence of ganglion cells).
This results in bowel obstruction and distention of the bowel proximal to the affected area.

2. Imperforate anus is due to a failure of perforation of the membrane that separates the endodermal hindgut from the ectodermal anal dimple. 

Benign conditions

1. Diverticular disease refers to multiple outpouchings of the colon.
Incidence. Diverticular disease is present in 30%-50%  adult autopsies in the United States. There is a higher dence with increasing age. 
Pathogenesis. Herniation of mucosa and submucoq through weak areas of the gut wall where arterial vasa recta perforate the muscularis is a characteristic pathological finding of the disease. 

Clinical features

- Diverticulosis is often asymptomatic, but may present with pain and/or rectal bleeding.
- In contrast, diverticulitis presents with pain and fever.  It is distinguished from diverticulosis by the presence of inflammation, which may or may not cause symptom. 

When symptomatic, the patlent experiences colicky left lower abdominal pain, change in bowel habits, and melena, so-called " left-sided appendicitis." 

Pathology 
Grossly, diverticula are seen most frequently in the sigmoid colon. 

Inflammatory diseases 


1. Crohn's disease, or regional enteritis, causes a segmental, recurrent, granulomatous inflammatory disease of the bowel. It most commonly involves the terminal ileum and colon but may involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract. There is a familial disposition. 
Etiology.

There is probably a similar etiology for both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, which together are called inflammatory bowel disease. The following possible etiologies have been considered: infectious; immunologic (both antibody-mediated and cell-mediated); deficiencies of suppressor cells; and nutritional, hormonal, vascular, and traumatic factors. 

Clinical features.

Crohn's disease usually begins in early adulthood and is common in Ashkenazic Jews. Patients present with colicky pain, diarrhea, weight loss, malaise, malabsorption, low-grade fever, and melena. There is typically a remitting and relapsing course. If the involved bowel is resected, lesions frequently develop in previously uninvolved regions of the bowel. 

Pathology. Crohn's disease has a very characteristic pathology. 
Grossly, there are segmental areas (skip lesions) of involvement, most commonly in the terminal ileum. 

3. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic relapsing disease characterized by ulcerations, predominantly of the rectum and left colon, but which may affect the entire colon and occasionally the terminal ileum.

Incidence is higher in Caucasians than in Blacks, and is also more frequent in women than in men. The typical age of onset ranges from 12-35 years of age. There is a definite familial predisposition. 

Etiology. Etiologic theories are similar to those for Crohn's disease. Some inflammatory bowel disease has microscopic  features of both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. 

Clinical course is characterized by relapsing bloody mucus diarrhea, which may lead to dehydration and electrolyte  imbalances, lower abdominal pain, and cramps. There is an  increased incidence of carcinoma of the colon, up to 50% after 25 years with the disease. 

Pathology 

Grossly, the disease almost always involves the rectum. It may extend proximally to involve part of the colon or its entirety. There are superficial mucosal ulcers, shortening of the bowel, narrowing of the lumen, pseudopolyps, and backwash ileitis. 

In contrast to Crohn's disease, the inflammation is usually confined to the mucosa and submucosa. 

Pseudomembranous colitis is an inflammatory process characterized by a pseudomembranous exudate coating the colonic mucosa 

Pathogenesis. The syndrome is associated with antibiotic  use (especially clindamycin), allowing proliferation of Clostridium difficile, which produces an exotoxin.

Clinical features include diarrhea that is often bloody, fever, and leukocytosis.
Diagnosis is made by identification of C. difficile and toxin  in stool.
Treatment includes stopping the original antibiotic and starting oral vancomycin or metronidazole. This disease is often a terminal complication in immunosuppressed patients. 

Vascular lesions 
Hemorrhoids are variceal
dilatations of the anal and perianal venous plexus. They are caused by elevated intra-abdominal venous pressure, often from constipation and pregnancy and are occasionally due to portal hypertension, where they are associated with esophageal varices. Hemorrhoids may under thrombosis, inflammation, and recanalization. External hemorrhoids are due to dilatation of the inferior hemorrhoidal
plexus, while internal hemorrhoids are due to dilatation of the superior hemorrhoidal plexus. 


Polyps are mucosal protrusions. 

1. Hyperplastic polyps comprise 90% of all polyps. They are no neoplastic and occur mostly in the rectosigmoid colon. 
Grossly, they form smooth, discrete, round elevations.

2. Adenomatous polyps are true neoplasms. There is a higher incidence of cancer in larger polyps and in those containing a greater proportion of villous growth.

a. Tubular adenomas (pedunculated polyps) make up 75% of adenomatous polyps. They may be sporadic or familial 

For sporadic polyps, the ratlo of men to women is 2:1. The average age of onset is 60. 
Grossly, most occur in the left colon. Cancerous transformation (i.e., invasion of the lamina propria or the stalk) occurs in approximately 4% of patients.

b. Villous adenomas are the largest, least common polyps, and are usually sessile. About one-third are cancerous. Most are within view of the colonoscope. 
(1) Grossly, they form "cauliflower-like" sessile growth 1-10 cm in diameter, which are broad-based and have no stalks. 


3. Familial polyposis is due to deletion of a gene located on chromosome 5q. 

Familial multiple polyposis (adenomatous polyposis coli) shows autosomal dominant inheritance and the appearance of polyps during adolescence; polyps start in the rectosigmoid area and spread to cover the entire colon. The polyps are indistinguishable from sporadic adenomatous polyps. Virtually all patients develop cancers. When diagnosed, total colectomy is recommended. 

Gardner's syndrome refers to colonic polyps associated with other neoplasms (e.g., in skin, subcutaneous tissue, bone) and desmoid tumors. The risk of colon cancer is nearly 100%. 

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome presents with polyps on the entire gastrointestinal tract (especially the small intestine) associ-
ated with melanin pigmentation of the buccal mucosa, lips, palms, and soles. The polyps are hamartomas and are not premalignant. Peutz-Jeghers syndrome shows autosomal dominant inheritance. 

Turcot's syndrome is characterized by colonic polyps associated with brain tumors (i.e., gliomas, medulloblastomas). 


Malignant tumors 

Adenocarcinoma is the histologic type of 98% of all colonic cancers. Both environmental and genetic factors have been
identified.

Incidence is very high in urban, Western societies. It is the  third most common tumor in both women and men. The peak incidence
is in the seventh decade of life. 

Pathogenesis is associated with villous adenomas, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, familial polyposis, and Gardner's syndrome. lncidence is possibly related to high meat intake, low-fiber diet, and deficient vitamin intake. A number of chromosomal abnormalities hme been associated with the development of colon cancer. 

Clinical features include rectal bleeding, change in bow habits, weakness, malaise, and weight loss in high-stage disease. The tumor spread by direct metastasis to nodes, liver, lung, and bones. carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a tumor marker that helps to monitor tumor recurrence after surgery or tumor progression in  some patients.

Pathology 
(1) Grossly, 75% of tumors occur in the rectum and sigmoid colon.
(2) Microscopically, these tumors are typical mucin-producing adenocarcinomas. 
2. Squamous cell carcinoma forms in the anal region. It is often associated with papilloma viruses and its incidence is rising in homosexual males with AIDS. 

ESOPHAGUS Pathology

Congenital malformations 
1. A tracheoesophageal fistula (the most prevalent esophageal anomaly) occurs most commonly as an upper esophageal blind pouch with a fistula between the lower segment of the esophagus and the trachea. It is associated with hydramnios, congenital heart disease, and other gastrointestinal malformation. 

2. Esophageal atresia is associated with VATER syndrome (vertebra1 defects, anal atresia, tracheoesophageal fistula, and renal dysplasia)

3. Stenosis refers to a narrowed esophagus with a small lumen.  lt may be congenital or acquired, e.g., through trauma or inflammation. 

Inflammatory disorders 

Esophagitis 

most often involves the lower half of the esophagus.  Caused by the reflux of gastric contents (juices) into the lower esophagus. One of the most common GI disorders.

Clinical features. 

Patients experience substernal burning  associated with regurgitation, mild anemia, dysphagia,  hematemesis, and melena. Esophagitis may predispose to esophageal cancer. 

Etiology

- Reflux esophagitis is due to an incompetent lower esophageal sphincter that permits reflux of gastric juice into the lower esophagus. 
- Irritants such as citric acid, hot liquids, alcohol, smoking, corrosive chemicals, and certain drugs, such as tetracycline, may provoke inflammation. 
- Infectious etiologies include herpes, CMV, and C. albicans. The immunocompromised host is particularly susceptible to infectious esophagitis. 
Although chronic or severe reflux disease is uncommon, consequences of these conditions can lead to Barrett’s esophagus, development of a stricture, or hemorrhage.

Pathology

-Grossly, there is hyperemia, edema, inflammation, and superficial necrosis. 

Complications include ulceration, bleeding, stenosis, and squamous carcinoma. 


Treatment: diet control, antacids, and medications that decrease the production of gastric acid (e.g., H blockers).


Barrett's esophagus, 

gastric or intestinal columnar epithelium replaces normal squamous epithelium in response to  chronic reflux.- A complication of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease.
- Histologic findings include the replacement of squamous epithelium with metaplastic columnar epithelium.
- Complications include increased incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma, stricture formation, or hemorrhage (ulceration).

 Motor disorders. 

Normal motor function requires effective peristalsis and relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. 

Achalasia is a lack of relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which may be associated with aperistalsis of the esophagus and increased basal tone of the LES. 

Clinical features. Achalasia occurs most commonly between the ages of 30 and 50. Typical symptoms are dysphagia, regurgitation, aspiration, and chest pain. The lack of motility promotes stagnation and predisposes to carcinoma. 

Hiatal hernia is the herniation of the abdominal esophagus, the stomach, or both, through the esophageal hiatus in the  diaphragm.

Scleroderma is a collagen vascular disease, seen primarily in women, that causes subcutaneous fibrosis and widespread  degenerative changes. (A mild variant is known as CREST syndrome which stands for calcinosis. raynaud's phenomenon , esophageal dysfunction, sclerodactyly and telengectseia. esophagus is the most frequently involved region of the gastrointestinal tract.

Clinical features are mainly dysphagia and heartburn due to reflux oesophagitis caused by aperlistalsis and incompetent LES. 


Rings and webs 

1. Webs are mucosal folds in the upper esophagus above the aortic arch. 
2. Schatzki rings are mucosal rings at the squamocolumnarjunction below the aortic arch.
3. Plummer Vinson Syndrome consist of triad of dysphagia, atrophic glossitis, and anemia. Webs are found in the upper esophagus. The syndrome is associated specifically with iron deficiency anemia and sometimes hypochlorhydria. Patients are at increased risk for carcinoma of the pharynx or esophagus. 

Mallory-Weiss syndrome
Mallory-Weiss tears refers to small mucosal tears at the gastroesophageal junction secondary to recurrent forceful vomiting. The tears occur along the long axis an result in hematemesis (sometimes massive).

- Characterized by lacerations (tears) in the esophagus.
- Most commonly occurs from vomiting (alcoholics).
- A related condition, known as Boerhaave syndrome, occurs when the esophagus ruptures, causing massive upper GI hemorrhage.

Esophageal varices
- The formation of varices (collateral channels) occurs from portal hypertension.
Causes of portal hypertension include blockage of the portal vein or liver disease (cirrhosis).
- Rupture of esophageal varices results in massive hemorrhage into the esophagus and hematemesis.
- Common in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Diverticula 
are sac-like protrusions of one or more layers of  pharyngeal or esophageal wall. 

Tumors 
- Benign tumors are rare. 
- Carcinoma of the esophagus most commonly occurs after 50 and has a male:female ratio of 4.1. 

Etiology: alcohal ingestion, smoking, nitrosamines in food, achalasia , web ring, Barrettes esophagus, and deficiencies of vitamins A and C , riboflavin, and some trace minerals

Clinical features include dysphagia (first to solids), retrosternal pain, anorexia, weight loss, melena, and symptoms secondary to metastases. 

Pathology 

- 50% occur in the middle third of the esophagus, 30% in the lower third, and 20% in the upper third. Most esophageal cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. 
Adenocarcinomas arise mostly out of Barrett's esophagus.

Prognosis

is poor. Fewer than 10% of patients survive 5 years, usually because diagnosis is made at a late stage. The  most common sites of metastasis are the liver and lung. The combination of cigarette smoking and alcohol is particularly causative for esophageal cancer (over l00%  risk compared to nondrinkers/nonsmokers). 

Salivary gland pathology

Inflammation 

a. Sialolithiasis produces a secondary inflammatory reaction  to obstruction and the resultant enlargement of ducts by stones. It may be complicated by actual infection with mouth flora. 

b. Sialadenitis is a primary inflammatory reaction, but it is not always infectious. It may be part of an autoimmune disease  (e.g., Sjogren's syndrome), or the result of bacterial or virals (e.g., mumps) infection. 

Sjögren’s syndrome

a. An autoimmune disease of the salivary and lacrimal glands.
b. Autonuclear antibodies (ANAs) against salivary ducts may be seen.
c. Triad of symptoms include:
(1) Xerostomia—from decreased saliva production.
(2) Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes)—from decreased tear production.
(3) Rheumatoid arthritis.
(4) Enlargement of the salivary or lacrimal glands, known as Mikulicz syndrome, may also be observed. 

d. Histologically, a dense infiltration of the gland by lymphocytes is observed.

Tumors

The parotid gland accounts for more than three-quarters of these tumors, most of which are benign. Of the remainder, more occur in the submandibular gland than in the sublingual, and most of these are malignant. Many are surgically, cured, but local recurrence is common. 

a. Pleomorphic adenoma is generally benign and accounts for approximately three-quarters of all salivary gland tumors. If  is composed of multiple epithelial and mesenchymal cell types. Complications may arise due to involvement of cranial nerve VII. 

(a) The most common salivary gland tumor.
(b) Is benign.
(c) Prognosis is good after proper surgical excision.

b. Warthin's tumor (adenolymphoma) is also benign, occuring almost exclusively in the parotid gland. It is grossly cystic.

Microscopic examination reveals cell types suggestive of branchial cleft origin embedded in a lymphoid matrix. 

c. Mucoepidermoid tumors also occur primarily in the parotid and have a high rate of malignant transformation.The malignant component is usually squamous cell.  Prognosis of tumor depends on grade and stage of disease.

d. Cylindroma (adenoid cysticc. Mucoepidermoid tumors carcinoma) is more common in the minor salivary glands found in the oral mucosa, and metastases are more common than in other tumors of the salivary glands. Facial nerve complications are frequent. 
(1) Grossly, the tumor forms multiple lobules surrounded by a capsule. 
(2) Microscopically, small cells form glands containin mucoid material 

Respiratory Viral Diseases

Respiratory viral infections cause acute local and systemic illnesses. The common cold, influenza, pharyngitis, laryngitis (including croup), and tracheobronchitis are common.

An acute, usually afebrile, viral infection of the respiratory tract, with inflammation in any or all airways, including the nose, paranasal sinuses, throat, larynx, and sometimes the trachea and bronchi.

Etiology and Epidemiology

Picornaviruses, especially rhinoviruses and certain echoviruses and coxsackieviruses, cause the common cold. About 30 to 50% of all colds are caused by one of the > 100 serotypes of rhinoviruses.

Symptoms and Signs

Clinical symptoms and signs are nonspecific.

After an incubation period of 24 to 72 h, onset is abrupt, with a burning sensation in the nose or throat, followed by sneezing, rhinorrhea, and malaise.

Characteristically, fever is not present, particularly with a rhinovirus or coronavirus. Pharyngitis usually develops early; laryngitis and tracheobronchitis vary by person and causative agent. Nasal secretions are watery and profuse during the first days, but become more mucoid and purulent.

Cough is usually mild but often lasts into the 2nd wk.

Rickettsial Diseases

Epidemic Typhus

An acute, severe, febrile, louse-borne disease caused by Rickettsia prowazekii, characterized by prolonged high fever, intractable headache, and a maculopapular rash.

Symptoms, Signs, and Prognosis

After an incubation period of 7 to 14 days, fever, headache, and prostration suddenly occur. Temperature reaches 40° C (104° F) in several days and remains high, with slight morning remission, for about 2 wk. Headache is generalized and intense. Small pink macules appear on the 4th to 6th day, usually in the axillae and on the upper trunk; they rapidly cover the body, generally excluding the face, soles, and palms. Later the rash becomes dark and maculopapular; in severe cases, the rash becomes petechial and hemorrhagic. Splenomegaly occurs in some cases. Hypotension occurs in most seriously ill patients; vascular collapse, renal insufficiency, encephalitic signs, ecchymosis with gangrene, and pneumonia are poor prognostic signs. Fatalities are rare in children < 10 yr, but mortality increases with age and may reach 60% in untreated persons > 50 yr.

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