What diseases can you get in the digestive system?

Are you feeling nauseous, experiencing abdominal pain or bloating? Don’t worry; it could be anything. Or maybe something is wrong with your digestive system. The digestive system is responsible for breaking down food and absorbing nutrients into the body. But sometimes, things can go wrong along the way (which can be more than just an awkward fart).

Understanding the Digestive System

Before we dive deeper into what diseases you can get in your gut, let’s take a quick look at how digestion works:

  1. Mouth: where digestion begins
  2. Esophagus: responsible for transferring food from mouth to stomach
  3. Stomach: where most of the breakdown process takes place
  4. Small Intestine: further breaks down food and extracts nutrients
  5. Large intestine/colon: absorbs water and electrolytes before getting rid of waste

Now that we have refreshed our biology knowledge let’s see what illnesses can affect these organs.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

This disorder involves back-flowing of stomach acid that causes heartburn, chest pain and sour taste in your mouth when you lay flat after eating or while sleeping (sadly not as delicious as it sounds like).

Symptoms:
– Heartburn
– Acid reflux
– Chest pain

Treatment:
-Avoiding acidic foods such as tomatoes or citrus fruits
-Raising the headboard 6 inches off ground

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

IBD has two classifications – ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease which affect different parts of the gastrointestinal tract but both cause stomach cramps and diarrhea.

Ulcerative colitis affects only colon manifesting on its lining resulting in painful sores also referred to as ulcers (not one anyone wants to bagel with).
Crohn’s Disease is an autoimmune condition that can cause inflammation to spread anywhere in the GI tract. Both these conditions are also associated with extraintestinal symptoms such as joint pain, rashes and fever.

Symptoms:
-Diarrhea
-Stomach cramps
-Lower abdominal pain
-Fatigue

Treatment:
-Immune suppressants
-Antibiotics

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Often confused for IBD or even GERD, but it’s a bit different. The muscles lining your intestines will contract and relax when processing food, but sometimes they overreact causing acute constipation or diarrhea (just like a waltz being danced by someone completely tone-deaf).

Symptoms:
-Stomach cramps
-Alternating constipation and diarrhea)
-Bloating

Treatments:
-Probiotics
-Regular Exercise

Peptic Ulcer

These ulcers develop mainly due to bacterial infections caused by Helicobacter pylori attacking the stomach lining where acid from our digestive juices can enter into them resulting in excruciating bellyaches (shoulda-woulda-stomacha).

Symptoms:
-Upset stomach
-Nausea/Vomiting
-Decreased appetite

Treatment :
-Antibiotics
-Antacids

Celiac Disease

An autoimmune disorder triggered primarily due to gluten intolerance (found in wheat-based products) which creates intestinal havoc ranging from mild discomfort to be blowing everything out of proportion(constant diarrhoea).

Symptoms :
-Chronic Diarrhoea
-Loss of weight
-Anemia

Treatments :
-Gluten-free diet

Gallstones

Gallstones are solid crystals formed within the gallbladder increasing risk factors after prolonged high cholesterol dietary habits or obesity labeled as biliary colic commonly occurring after consuming fatty meals (Echo-location – This is not what you meant in getting the fat from meals to get lost)

Symptoms:
-Sharp pain on right side of upper abdomen
-Nausea
-Vomiting

Treatment :
-Laparoscopic Surgery

Hemorrhoids

Your body should do everything possible to keep your waste products and rectum separate, but hemorrhoids are swollen veins found inside or outside the anus resulting from excessive pressure causing constriction.

These can be categorized into internal when seen above the rectum’s lining or external when felt underneath skin surrounding this area (when they say life ain’t a bed of roses, it probably means something else).

Symptoms :
-Bleeding during bowel movement
-Pain
-Itching

Treatment :
-Sitz bath
-Creams

Conclusion

From Gallstones which are coming up with Echo location features to contemplating nauseas that aren’t out-of-the-world delicious, many health concerns may occur if proper care isn’t taken for your gut. Maintaining a proper diet with ample exercise could help prevent these issues from developing while regular consultations with clinicians can spot early onset symptoms of some diseases. Feel free to indulge in culinary experiences, just make sure you’re aware of warning signals suggesting potential digestive issues lurking under all those exotic spices!

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