About this site

Online Quizzes

Sample Cases

This is a Molson Medical Informatics Page created by Waqqas Afif, Class of 2003

Gastrointestinal Physiology : Sample Cases

Case 2: Diarrhea

A 24-year-old medical student decided to travel to Swaziland for an elective after her second year of medical school. She was excited about going and she knew she would do great because she was well equipped with the knowledge she gained from her first two years of medicine. She had been told to drink only bottled water but not having paid attention during the lectures dealing with the GI system, she decided that she was going to really "live the African experience" and drink the well water. Days after she arrived she began having diarrhea. She just could not figure out what had happened and cursed the fact that she had skipped all her lectures on diarrhea.

After seeing a doctor she was diagnosed with "traveler's diarrhea" caused by enterotoxigenic E. coli.

Questions

1. What are the four main mechanisms of diarrhea? Which mechanism is most likely responsible for this student's diarrhea? Answer

2. Explain each mechanism of diarrhea physiologically speaking and give examples of each. Answer

3. If the student complained of blood or pus in her stool, how may the diagnosis have been different? Answer