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1. Southeast University
Gastrointestinal& Respiratory
pathology
Prepared By: Md. Mehedi Hasan Shawon
Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University
Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh
ID: 2018000300093
Batch: 31st (D)

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INDEX
What is pathology?.....................................................................................................................2
Gastrointestinal pathology .........................................................................................................2
Abdominal Pain......................................................................................................................2
Symptoms...........................................................................................................................3
Causes ................................................................................................................................3
Prevention ..........................................................................................................................3
Gastrointestinal haemorrhage ................................................................................................4
Symptoms...........................................................................................................................4
Causes ................................................................................................................................4
Prevention ..........................................................................................................................5
Respiratory pathology................................................................................................................6
Obstructive lung disease ........................................................................................................6
Symptoms...........................................................................................................................6
Cause..................................................................................................................................7
Prevention ..........................................................................................................................7
Restrictive lung disease..........................................................................................................7
Symptoms...........................................................................................................................8
Cause..................................................................................................................................8
Treatment ...........................................................................................................................8
Infectious disease ...................................................................................................................8
Symptoms...........................................................................................................................9
Cause..................................................................................................................................9
Prevention ..........................................................................................................................9
Neoplastic disease..................................................................................................................9
Symptoms.........................................................................................................................10
Cause................................................................................................................................10
Treatment .........................................................................................................................10
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................11

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What is pathology?
Pathology is the study of disease. The word pathology also refers to the study of disease in
general, incorporating a wide range of bioscience research fields and medical practices. It is
the bridge between science and medicine. (Anonymus, 2020) It involves the study and
diagnosis of disease through the examination of surgically removed organs, tissues bodily
fluids, and in some cases the whole body.
Gastrointestinal pathology
The gastrointestinal tract is the tract from the mouth to the anus which includes all the organs
of the digestive system in humans and other animals. Gastrointestinal pathology is the
subspecialty of surgical pathology which deals with the diagnosis and characterization of
neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases of the digestive tract and accessory organs, such as the
pancreas and liver. The two main symptoms related to pathology of the gastrointestinal tract
are abdominal pain and gastrointestinal haemorrhage.
Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain is pain that we feel anywhere between your chest and groin. This is often
referred to as the stomach region or belly. The differential diagnosis for abdominal pain can
be classified as either acute or chronic, based upon the length of time of the pain. The four
categories of the causes of acute abdominal pain are:

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1) Inflammation, including appendicitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and diverticulitis.
2) Perforation.
3) Obstruction.
4) Vascular disease, including acute ischemia and ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.
The five categories of causes of chronic abdominal pain are:
1) Inflammation, including peptic ulcer disease, esophagitis, inflammatory bowel
disease, and chronic pancreatitis.
2) Vascular disease, including chronic ischemia.
3) Metabolic disease, including porphyria.
4) abdominal wall pain
Symptoms
Common Symptoms of abdominal pain are:
i. Nausea.
ii. Vomiting
iii. Fever.
iv. Abdominal cramping.
v. Bloating.
vi. Gas.
Causes
There are many different conditions which can cause abdominal pain. Less serious causes of
abdominal pain include:
i. Constipation
ii. Irritable bowel syndrome
iii. Food allergies or intolerance
iv. Food poisoning
v. Stomach flu
Other possible causes include:
i. Kidney stones
ii. Ulcers
iii. Cancer of the stomach, colon
iv. Appendicitis
v. Heartburn
Sometimes, abdominal pain may occur due to a problem somewhere else in our body, such as
chest or pelvic area. (Anonymus, Abdominal pain, 2020) (Walter L. Kemp)
Prevention
Not all forms of abdominal pain are preventable. However, we can minimize the risk of
developing abdominal pain by doing the following:

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i. Eat a healthy diet.
ii. Drink water frequently.
iii. Exercise regularly.
iv. Eat smaller meals.
Gastrointestinal haemorrhage
The second main symptom of gastrointestinal pathology is bleeding. Gastrointestinal (GI)
bleeding is a symptom of a disorder in our digestive tract. The blood often appears in stool or
vomit but isn't always visible, though it may cause the stool to look black or tarry. The level
of bleeding can range from mild to severe and can be life-threatening. (Walter L. Kemp)
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms depend on the location of the bleed, which can be anywhere on the GI
tract, from where it starts, the mouth — to where it ends — the anus — and the rate of
bleeding.
Overt bleeding might show up as:
i. Vomiting blood
ii. Black, tarry stool
iii. Rectal bleeding
With occult bleeding might show up as:
i. Light-headedness
ii. Difficulty breathing
iii. Chest pain
iv. Chest pain
Causes
Gastrointestinal bleeding can occur either in the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract. It can
have a number of causes.

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Upper GI bleeding
Causes can include:
i. Peptic ulcer: This is the most common cause of upper GI bleeding. Peptic ulcers are
sores that develop on the lining of the stomach and upper portion of the small
intestine. Stomach acid, either from bacteria or use of anti-inflammatory drugs,
damages the lining, leading to formation of sores.
ii. Mallory-Weiss tears: they can cause a lot of bleeding. These are most common in
people who drink alcohol to excess.
iii. Esophagitis: This inflammation of the esophagus is most commonly caused by
gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Lower GI bleeding
Causes can include:
i. Diverticular disease: This involves the development of small, bulging pouches in the
digestive tract. If one or more of the pouches become inflamed or infected, it's called
diverticulitis.
ii. Inflammatory bowel disease: This includes ulcerative colitis, which causes
inflammation and sores in the colon and rectum, and Crohn's disease, and
inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract.
iii. Tumors: cancerous tumors of the esophagus, stomach, colon or rectum can weaken
the lining of the digestive tract and cause bleeding.
iv. Hemorrhoids: These are swollen veins in your anus or lower rectum, similar to
varicose veins.
v. Proctitis: Inflammation of the lining of the rectum can cause rectal bleeding.
Prevention
To help prevent a GI bleed:
i. Limit use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
ii. Limit use of alcohol.
iii. Quite smoking
iv. Eat a high-fiber diet to increase the bulk of the stool, which helps prevent
diverticulosis and hemorrhoids. (Anonymus, Gastrointestinal bleeding, 2020)

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Respiratory pathology
It can be called pulmonary pathology. Respiratory pathology is the subspecialty of surgical
pathology which deals with the diagnosis and characterization of neoplastic and non-
neoplastic diseases of the lungs and thoracic pleura.
Diseases of the lung can be classified into four general categories:
1) Obstructive lung disease
2) Restrictive lung disease
3) Infectious disease
4) Neoplastic disease (Walter L. Kemp, pp. 209-210)
Obstructive lung disease
Obstructive lung disease is a type of lung disease that occurs due to blockages or obstructions
in the airways. Blockages damage the lungs and cause their airways to narrow. This damage
leads to difficulty breathing.
Types of obstructive lung disease include:
i. Asthma
ii. Emphysema
iii. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Symptoms
Shortness of breath is the main symptom of obstructive lung disease. At first, this may only
occur with physical activity. However, as the disease progresses, it can occur at any time,
including when a person is resting.
Other symptoms of obstructive lung disease include:
i. Tightness in the chest
ii. weight loss
iii. swelling in the legs and feet

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iv. a blue tint to the lips or nail beds
Cause
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the main risk factor for
obstructive lung disease is smoking. Up to 75 per cent of people who have COPD either
smoke or used to smoke. Exposure to other lung irritants through the environment can also
cause obstructive lung disease.
Some other lung irritants include:
i. chemicals
ii. Dust
iii. Excessive exposure to second hand smoke.
There is also a genetic component to obstructive lung diseases.
Prevention
Preventing obstructive lung disease is similar to preventing other lung infections. There are
some precautionary steps that a person can take, including:
i. quitting smoking
ii. avoiding second hand smoke
iii. exercising regularly
iv. taking precautions around chemicals and fumes
Restrictive lung disease
Restrictive lung disease refers to a group of lung diseases that prevent the lungs from fully
expanding with air. This restriction makes breathing difficult. Many forms of restrictive lung
disease are progressive, getting worse over time. However, some causes of restrictive lung
disease can be reversed.
Types of diseases and conditions involved in intrinsic restrictive lung disease can include:
i. pneumonia
ii. tuberculosis
iii. lung cancers
iv. inflammatory bowel disease
v. interstitial lung disease

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Symptoms
The symptoms of restrictive lung disease include:
i. Shortness of breath.
ii. Wheezing
iii. Coughing.
iv. Chest pain.
v. anxiety
Cause
There are some conditions that can cause restrictive lung disease include:
i. Interstitial lung disease
ii. Obesity.
iii. Scoliosis.
iv. Neuromuscular disease, such as muscular dystrophy.
Treatment
Treatment plans depend on the cause or the type of restrictive lung disease. In some cases,
delivering oxygen to a person using oxygen therapy may be necessary to help them breathe
properly. Medications commonly used to treat restrictive lung diseases include:
i. Azathioprine
ii. Cyclophosphamide
iii. Methotrexate (Huizen, 2017)
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses,
parasites or fungi; the diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to
another. The agents of infection can be divided into different groups on the basis of their size,
biochemical characteristics, or manner in which they interact with the human host. The
groups of organisms that cause infectious diseases are categorized as bacteria, viruses, fungi,
and parasites.

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Symptoms
Each infectious disease has its own specific signs and symptoms. General signs and
symptoms common to a number of infectious diseases include:
i. Fever
ii. Diarrhea
iii. Fatigue
iv. Muscle aches
v. Coughing
Cause
Infectious diseases can be caused by:
Bacteria: These one-cell organisms are responsible for illnesses such as strep throat, urinary
tract infections and tuberculosis.
Viruses: Even smaller than bacteria, viruses cause a multitude of diseases ranging from the
common cold to AIDS and COVID-19
Fungi: Many skin diseases, such as ringworm and athlete's foot, are caused by fungi. Other
types of fungi can infect your lungs or nervous system.
Parasites: Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite that is transmitted by a mosquito bite. Other
parasites may be transmitted to humans from animal feces.
Prevention
i. Wash hand before and after prepareing food, before eating something, after toilet and
extra activities.
ii. Get vaccinated. Vaccination can drastically reduce your chances of contracting many
diseases. Make sure to keep up to date on your recommended vaccinations, as well as
children's.
iii. Stay home when ill
iv. Prepare food safely. Keep counters and other kitchen surfaces clean when preparing
meals. Cook foods to the proper temperature, using a food thermometer to check for
doneness. For ground meats, that means at least 160 F for poultry, 165 F and for most
other meats, at least 145 F.
v. Don't share personal items. (anonymus, 2020)
Neoplastic disease
A neoplasm is an abnormal growth of cells, also known as a tumor. Neoplastic diseases are
conditions that cause tumor growth.

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Symptoms
Symptoms of neoplastic disease greatly depend on where the neoplasm is located.
Regardless of type, there are some common symptoms of neoplastic disease:
i. anaemia
ii. shortness of breath
iii. abdominal pain
iv. loss of appetite
v. diarrhea
vi. fever
vii. bloody stools
viii. skin masses
In some cases, neoplastic diseases show no symptoms.
Cause
There are a number of contributing factors that can cause our genes to mutate and result in
benign or malignant tumor growth. Some common factors include:
i. genetics
ii. age
iii. hormones
iv. smoking
v. drinking alcohol
vi. obesity
vii. immune disorders
viii. viruses
ix. chemical toxins
Treatment
The common treatment of neoplastic disease is chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells
throughout the body, and radiation therapy, which kills cancer cells in a specific area of the
body. (Anthony, 2018)

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Bibliography
Anonymus. (2020). Abdominal pain. Retrieved from Mount Sinai:
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/symptoms/abdominal-
pain#:~:text=The%20important%20thing%20to%20know,poisoning%2C%20and%20
a%20stomach%20virus.
Anonymus. (2020). Gastrointestinal bleeding. Retrieved from myoclinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gastrointestinal-bleeding/symptoms-
causes/syc-
20372729#:~:text=Gastrointestinal%20(GI)%20bleeding%20is%20a,and%20can%20
be%20life%2Dthreatening.
anonymus. (2020). Infectious diseases. Retrieved from mayoclinic:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/symptoms-
causes/syc-20351173
Anonymus. (2020, July 9). Pathology. Retrieved from wikipidia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathology
Anthony, K. (2018, February 14). What Is Neoplastic Disease? Retrieved from healthline:
https://www.healthline.com/health/neoplastic-disease
Huizen, J. (2017, Augest 13). Types of restrictive lung disease and their causes. Retrieved
from medicalnewstoday: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318905
Walter L. Kemp, D. K. (n.d.). Gastrointestinal Pathology. In D. K. Walter L. Kemp,
pathology: The Big Picture (pp. 231-232). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies,.