Question

Below are symptoms of a patient related to the Digestive System and Metabolism. Each person needs to answer all of these and then reply substantially to their teammates. As a team you should come to a final conclusion on all 3 questions in regards to the Patient and the symptoms. *Only the people in your group/team can see your discussions. Based on the symptoms answer the following questions:

1. Identify all anatomical structures related to and/or that are being affected based on the patient case information. (i.e. tissues, organs, vessels, brain components, membranes)
2. Explain how the anatomical structures and their physiological function/dysfunction are interrelated normally and what is going wrong with the structures in this current patient case information.
3. Identify and explain possible a diagnosis and what can be done to fix or reverse the current situation described in the patient case information. Please be specific and detailed.

Patient Case (Initial Review):

Noah is a 12 year old boy who lives in a rural town. Noah has been having the following symptoms:

• Stomach pain in the form of a burning sensation, it especially hurts when he hasn't eaten in a while
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Frequent burping
• Bloating
• Unintentional weight loss - Noah has lost 15 lbs.

Answer 1

As per the presenting symptoms, Noah must be suffering from Gastritis.

Gastritis is a disorder in which their is inflammation of gastric mucosa which is predominantly associated with upper GI symptoms and histologically there is infiltration by neutrophils.

Very often there is superficial inflammation.

The cause of gastritis can be helicobacter pylori infection, autoimmune or excess intake of NSAID's.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, anorexia, indigestion, discomfort or feeling of fullness and belching.

There is epigastric pain.

Gastritis leads to atropy of gastric mucosa with loss of chief cell and parietal cells of glands. Therefore, the secretion of gastric juice decreases.