Sample interview questions: How do you assess and manage patients with gastrointestinal disorders related to food allergies or intolerances?
Sample answer:
Assessment:
- History: Thoroughly inquire about the frequency, timing, severity, and character of symptoms. Explore the specific foods or ingredients suspected of triggering reactions.
- Physical Examination: Conduct a comprehensive abdominal examination, including auscultation for bowel sounds, palpation for tenderness or distension, and percussion for ascites. Assess the patient’s general nutritional status and hydration level.
- Dietary Diary: Encourage the patient to keep a detailed dietary diary to identify potential trigger foods and patterns of symptoms.
- Skin Testing: Perform skin prick testing or intradermal skin testing to identify specific food allergens.
- Blood Tests: Order blood tests to check for specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, which indicate allergic reactions. Consider testing for Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, or other inflammatory bowel conditions.
- Hydrogen Breath Testing: Conduct a hydrogen breath test to assess malabsorption of specific sugars, such as lactose or fructose.
Management:
Dietary Modifications:
- Elimination Diet: Gradually eliminate suspected trigger foods from the diet and monitor for symptom improvement.
- Food Challenge: If the elimination diet is ineffective, perform a supervised food challenge to confirm the suspected allergy or intolerance.
- Nutritional Supplementation: Ensure adequate nutritional intake by providing supplements or modifying the diet to compensate for eliminated foods.
Pharmacologic Therapy:<... Read full answer
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