An Overview Of 10 Digestive Diseases

Your digestive system is comprised of a digestive tract and other organs that aid in breaking down your food for absorption and the remaining as waste. Your digestive tract is a series of hollow organs that are joined together in a long, twisting tube. It extends from your mouth to your anus and includes your mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus. Here are 10 digestive diseases that can cause you great discomfort when your organs do not perform properly:

1. Appendicitis happens whenever you appendix becomes inflamed. Your appendix is a small pouch that is attached to the area where your kidney starts on your lower right side. While you do not need your appendix, an inflamed appendix can burst and cause infection and possibly death. This is a condition that can affect anyone at any age, but it more common in people who are between the age of 10 and 30.

2. Rapid Gastric Emptying, which is also known as dumping syndrome, occurs whenever the lower end of your small intestine fills up too quickly with undigested food from your stomach. This causes nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea and shortness of breath.

3. Late Dumping happens between 1 to 3 hours after you eat. The symptoms include weakness, sweating and dizziness. Late dumping is caused by an insulin response to the ingested food. You may feel flushed, sweaty, fatigued, and experience all the signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) with late dumping.

4. Fecal Compaction, which is also known as impaction, occurs whenever hardened waste matter obstructs your natural bowel function. This condition occurs for numerous reasons, but your diet is the biggest cause of this disease.

5. Mucoid Plaque develops arising from an unhealthy colon. It is used to describe a harmful coating of mucus-like material that exists in your gastrointestinal tract. Its presence reduces the absorption of nutrients, impairs digestion, provides a breeding ground for parasite microorganisms and reduces bowel transit time. The existence of mucoid plaque is not supported by scientific or medical studies, however.

6. Short Bowel Syndrome is a group of problems that can affect you if you have had at least half of your small intestine removed.

7. Collagenous Colitis and Lymphocytic Colitis are both inflammatory bowel diseases that cause inflammation in your intestines. These are 2 types of bowel inflammation that affect the colon, which is also known as your large intestine.

8. Viral Gastroenteritis is caused by a viral infection that results in vomiting or diarrhea. It is often called the “stomach flu,” although it is not caused by the influenza viruses. It is a disease that anyone can get and that most people can recover from without any problems. However, if you get viral gastroenteritis and are unable to drink enough fluids to replace what is lost through vomiting and diarrhea it can be serious. There are also some complications that can occur from vomiting, even if you are healthy.

9. Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction , which is also known as false blockage is a condition that causes symptoms that are similar to those of a bowel obstruction, which is also known as blockage. However, when your intestines are examined, there is no obstruction present. This disease is caused by problems in how the muscles and nerves in your intestines work. Some of these symptoms include cramps, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating, fewer bowel movements than usual and loose stools. Over the course of time, pseudo-obstruction can lead to bacterial infections, malnutrition and muscle problems in other parts of your body. Some people have also had bladder problems.

10. Ulcerative Colitis, which is also known as colitis or proctitis, is a disease that causes inflammation and sores, which are called ulcers, in the lining of your large intestine. Your inflammation will usually occur in your rectum and the lower part of your colon. However, it is also possible that this disease can affect your entire colon. It is rare that this disease will affect your small intestines though. When this does happen, it is called terminal ileum.

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