Question

Franks’ family had a full table for Thanksgiving dinner, including aunts, great aunts, uncles and cousins he barely knew. Luckily, Frank’s favorite cousin, Colin, a thirty-five year old software engineer working for a toy company in an exotic overseas location, flew in just for Thanksgiving. Colin was happy to be home and was entertaining everyone with his stories of the amazing foods he had eaten over the past few months. Finally, Thanksgiving dinner was served: turkey, gravy, spinach casserole, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, lots of good wine, and Aunt Rita’s Jell-O mold for dessert. Just after coffee, Colin doubled over in pain clutching his abdomen. He said that this had been happening more frequently over the past few months, but he had never felt this bad. His mother wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused and just wanted to lie down on the couch. Meanwhile Frank’s relatives started debating their own diagnoses.

1] As a review of the Digestive system:

A] List the parts of the digestive system (both GI tract and accessory organs).

B] In general what does each part do?

2] Aunt Sally said that she was sure that Colin had an ulcer.

A] What exactly is a stomach ulcer?

B] Explain normal digestion

C] Explain normal protection of the stomach and how this fails in the case of a stomach ulcer.

3] What evidence supports Aunt Sally’s diagnosis?

4] Once Colin is feeling better, what questions could Aunt Sally ask Colin to help her figure out if she is correct?

5] Cousin Carol said she was sure that Colin was suffering from lactose intolerance. She had the same problem so was careful to avoid certain foods.

A] What is lactose?

B] What is lactose intolerance?

C] Where in the gastrointestinal tract do you usually digest lactose?

D] Why is the pain in a different location from where lactose would be digested?

6] What evidence supports Carol’s diagnosis?

7] Once Colin is feeling better, what questions could Carol ask Colin to help her figure out if she is correct?

8] Of course Cousin Linda threw in her two cents by declaring that Colin’s problem was a gallstone. Linda knows that gallstones are formed in the gall bladder and are too large to pass through the bile duct. But she is not sure what bile is or why gallstones only cause pain after certain kinds of meals. Help her explain.

9] What evidence supports Linda’s diagnosis?

10] Once Colin is feeling better, what questions could Linda ask Colin to help her figure out if she is correct?

11] Rick, Colin’s 15-year-old brother, was sure Colin picked up some weird parasite from eating all that raw fish.

A] Explain how gastrointestinal parasites are likely to be acquired.

B] What are some symptoms associated with these parasites:

12] What evidence supports Rick’s diagnosis?

13] Once Colin is feeling better, what questions could Rick ask Colin to help him figure out if he is correct?

14] Colin has been listening to the family discuss his health for the past hour. He sits up and tells the family that he is careful to avoid fat and milk in his diet and the last time he felt this bad followed a great meal of spicy Szechuan beef and Hunan duck in hot bean paste. But because nothing tonight was fried, he is surprised he had the pain again.

A] Who is most likely to have correctly diagnosed Colin’s problem?

B] Explain your reasoning for this diagnosis.

Answer 1

1

A. Parts of digestive system

• mouth
• Esophagus
• Stomach.
• Small Intestine.
• Large Intestine.
• Rectum.
• Accessory digestive organs: liver, gallbladder, pancreas.

B. Functions of digestive organs

• Mouth -chewing
• esophagus -peristalsis (takes foods down to stomach)
• stomach -upper muscle in stomach relaxes to let food enter and lower muscles mixes food with digestive juices. It broke down proteins.
• small intestine -peristalsis. Broke down starch, protein, carbohydrates.
• Large intestine -peristalsis
• rectum - store stool until it pushes out to the body.
• pancreas -broke carbohydrates, fats, protein.
• Liver-broke fat.

2

A. Stomach ulcers, which are also known as gastric ulcers, are painful sores in the stomach lining.

B. Normal digestion

After you eat food is taken down to stomach from mouth through esophagus. In stomach food is mixes with gastric acid and digestion starts. Then it passes through small intestine and large intestine with the help of peristalsis and broke down of carbohydrates, protein and fat . Where further digestion and absorption of water and minerals took place. Finally elimination of undigested food through the rectum.

C. Stomach has a thick mucus layer which protects the stomach. Stomach ulcers occur when the thick layer of mucus that protects your stomach from digestive juices is reduced. This allows the digestive acids to eat away at the tissues that line the stomach, causing an ulcer.