Case Study Investigation #13 A classmate tells you that he missed three classes

Question

Case Study Investigation #13

A classmate tells you that he missed three classes due to illness. He tells you that he had no health problems until about 2 months ago when he started developing recurring bouts of diarrhea, four times in the past 2 months. Each time, the diarrhea lasted 3 days and then went away. Since you are in an anatomy and physiology class, he had no reservations describing that he had semisolid bowel movements with some blood after 2 days of diarrhea. During the bouts of diarrhea, he experienced headaches, mild cramps, and abdominal pain on the right side, but no fever, nausea or vomiting. You notice that your classmate smokes regularly. He also has significant stress from school and work. Your classmates mentions that his mother had an intestinal disorder, but he cannot remember the name of the disease. What could be causing your classmate’s ailments?

Explanation / Answer

The condition experienced by the subject is chronic diarrhea and the most notable cause of such condition is an Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

The rectal bleeding is a more serious symptom of IBS.

IBS is caused by changes in the gut flora (microbe), severe bacterial gut infection or by poorly coordinated nervous system.

IBS is especially prevalent in young populace with a family history of stomach infection.

IBS is triggered by stress and symptoms are aggravated by tobacco.

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