Discussion: Digestive Disorders

Many patient symptoms can be tied to multiple disorders, which may lead to misdiagnoses. For instance, consider two digestive disorders of the gastrointestinal tract—inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. These two disorders are commonly confused because they present similar symptoms. As an advanced practice nurse, you must know the differences to properly diagnose and treat the disorders. How does the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease compare to the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome? How do treatments for the two disorders compare?

To Prepare

• Review Chapter 34 in the Huether and McCance text and Chapter 13 in the McPhee and Hammer text.
• Identify the pathophysiological mechanisms of inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Think about similarities and differences between the disorders.
• Consider common treatments for inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Reflect on whether treatments for one disorder would work for the other disorder.
• Select one of the following patient factors: genetics, gender, ethnicity, age, or behavior. Reflect on how the factor you selected might impact the pathophysiology of and treatments for each disorder.

By Day 3

Post an explanation of the pathophysiological mechanisms of inflammatory bowel disorder and irritable bowel syndrome, including similarities and differences. Then describe common treatments, addressing whether treatments for one disorder would work for the other disorder. Finally, explain how the patient factor you selected might impact the pathophysiology of and treatments for each disorder.