Digestion & Bowel Elimination Med-Surg Conditions

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the pathophysiology, key definitions, and clinical cues of 25 gastrointestinal and bowel elimination conditions.

Oral HSV-1

A viral infection that causes recurrent vesicular oral and lip lesions.

Aphthous ulcers

Inflammatory, noncontagious shallow mouth ulcers, often triggered by stress or local trauma.

Oral candidiasis (thrush)

Candida overgrowth in the oral mucosa, associated with immunosuppression, antibiotics, or inhaled steroids.

Gingivitis / periodontal disease

Bacterial plaque-triggered gum inflammation that can progress to tissue and bone loss.

Oral / oropharyngeal cancer

Malignant growth of oral or pharyngeal tissues, associated with tobacco, alcohol, and HPV.

GERD

Condition where an incompetent lower esophageal sphincter allows acid reflux and mucosal irritation.

Barrett’s esophagus

Condition where chronic reflux produces intestinal metaplasia of the distal esophageal lining and raises adenocarcinoma risk.

Gastroparesis

Impaired gastric motility that delays emptying, sometimes related to diabetes or neurologic dysfunction.

Gastritis

Inflammation and injury of the gastric mucosa, often related to H. pylori, NSAIDs, or physiologic stress.

Peptic ulcer disease

Breakdown of gastric or duodenal mucosal defense that allows acid-related ulceration, commonly associated with H. pylori and NSAIDs.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

A functional disorder of gut-brain interaction with altered bowel habits and abdominal pain, without destructive inflammation.

Crohn’s disease

Transmural inflammatory bowel disease characterized by skip lesions anywhere along the GI tract.

Ulcerative colitis

Continuous mucosal inflammation beginning in the rectum and extending through the colon.

Bowel obstruction

Mechanical blockage or impaired transit that prevents passage of intestinal contents, causing distension and fluid shifts.

Diverticulitis

Inflammation of a colonic diverticulum, sometimes complicated by abscess or perforation.

Celiac disease

Immune-mediated small-intestinal villous injury triggered by gluten in susceptible individuals.

Constipation / fecal impaction

Reduced or difficult stool passage where retained stool can become impacted and cause overflow leakage.

Diarrhea / dehydration

Frequent loose stool increasing intestinal water and electrolyte losses, stemming from infectious or noninfectious causes.

C. difficile infection

Antibiotic-associated colitis and potentially fulminant disease caused by toxin-producing C. difficile bacteria.

Ostomy complications

Pathological conditions of a surgically diverted bowel, including ischemia, retraction, obstruction, leakage, and peristomal skin injury.

Hepatitis A/B/C

Viral hepatic inflammation that impairs liver function, with transmission routes and chronicity differing by virus type.

Steatotic liver disease / cirrhosis

Hepatic fat injury and chronic inflammation that can progress to fibrosis, portal hypertension, and loss of synthetic liver function.

Liver failure / hepatic encephalopathy

Severe hepatic dysfunction that permits toxin accumulation, impaired coagulation, and metabolic instability.

Cholelithiasis / cholecystitis

Gallstones obstructing bile flow and inflaming the gallbladder, potentially complicated by infection or ischemia.

Pancreatitis

Premature enzyme activation that inflames pancreatic tissue, potentially leading to systemic inflammatory response and organ injury.

Murphy sign

A clinical examination cue characterized by right upper quadrant tenderness, commonly evaluated in cholecystitis.

Asterixis

A motor/neurologic sign characterized by a flapping tremor of the hands, recognized as a cue in hepatic encephalopathy.

Tenesmus

A persistent, urgent desire to evacuate the bowels, identified as a clinical cue in ulcerative colitis.

Obstipation

The severe inability to pass flatus or stool, recognized as a key cue in bowel obstruction.

Skip lesions

Discontinuous, patchy segments of transmural bowel inflammation characteristic of Crohn’s disease.