In this article, you are going to learn and understand digestive system diseases, symptoms, and treatment. Basically, digestive system diseases are related to problems in the digestive system.
There are many types of digestive system diseases, but in this section, you will learn only eight digestive system diseases, their symptoms, and treatment
.Peptic Ulcer
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease GERD
- Dumping Syndrome
- Bloating
1 . Peptic Ulcer
Ulcer (peptic Ulcer) is a sore in the inner wall of the digestive system, particularly in the esophagus, duodenum, or stomach. Ulcer in the esophagus, intestine, and stomach is termed esophagus, intestinal, and gastric ulcer respectively. In any type of ulcer, the acid gradually breaks the inner wall of the respective organs.
Causes: Excess acidic food material, infection, smoking, medicines (aspirin), eating fast food, soft drinks, and drinking coffee are some causes of ulcers.
Symptoms
Following are the symptoms of the Ulcer
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Rush of saliva
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal burning after a meal at midnight
- Weight loss
Treatment
Treatment of Ulcers includes avoiding,
- Smoking
- Eating spicy food
- Medicines that neutralize the acidic effects of gastric juice.
2 . Diarrhea
Diarrhea is a digestive disorder in which the patient has frequent watery, loose bowel movements. This disorder also included vomiting, abdominal pain, and nausea. When the water from the colon is not absorbed properly it results in Diarrhea.
Causes
Viral or bacterial infection in the large intestine causes diarrhea. A Lake of adequate safe water also causes diarrhea. If sufficient food and water are supplied, the sufferer recovers in a few days. On contrary to this, the malnourished person’s diarrhea can lead to severe dehydration and may become life-threatening.
Treatment
Treatment for diarrhea includes the following preventive measures,
- Drinking a sufficient quantity of water in order to compensate for the loss of water,
- If diarrhea is due to bacterial infection, Antibiotics can be used,
- Taking clean water with necessary salts, eating regular and simple food, and taking a hygienic lifestyle are some of the preventive measures to get rid of diarrhea.
3. Constipation
It is a type of digestive disorder in which the sufferer faces hard feces that are difficult to excrete.
Causes
The major causes of constipation involve the following reasons,
- Inadequate intake of dietary fibers,
- Excess dehydration
- Tumors in the rectum or anus
- Use of medicines that have iron, calcium
- Excessive absorption of water through
Treatment
Treatment of constipation is related to a positive change in diet and exercise habits. It is advised that prevention is better than to treat in getting rid of any kind of disease. Medicines called laxatives (paraffin) are used for treatment. A patient should take the required quantity of water and dietary fiber.
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) concerns the long-lasting inflammation in the digestive duct.
During IBD the immune system reaction remains abnormal which is why it is some called an autoimmune disease.
Types of IBD
There are two major types of IBD
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Crohn’s disease
In America only there 1.5 million people are affected by Crohn’s and Ulcerative colitis.
Symptoms:
Following are the symptoms of the IBD
- Irritation
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Fever
- Abdominal pain
- Wight loss
Treatment
Drugs that block immune response can treat IBD. During severe conditions surgery is necessary.
5 . Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
It is an abdominal pain that appears at least three times a month for approximately three months.
IBS also includes constipation and diarrhea. It is a far more common disease. IBS doesn’t harm the digestive tract.
Causes
The exact cause of IBS does not discover yet,
Its cause is unclear. In America more than 15 million people have IBS.
Treatment
Eat simple and smaller food, fibers, and probiotics.
Preventive measures
Avoid fast and spicy food items.
6 . Gastro-esophagus Reflux Disease ( GERD)
In this type of digestive disorder, a person experiences heartburn or acid reflux for more than a couple of weeks. In America 20% of people have GERD.
Causes
The esophagus moves swallowed food down to the stomach. A ring of muscles in the lower esophagus sphincter (LES) connects the stomach and esophagus. When the LES is weak, stomach acid can leak back up into the esophagus and cause heartburn including acidity.
Treatment
GERD can be treated by changing lifestyle i.e. what or when a person has to eat. A sufferer should simple and smaller food. Antacids or prescription-strength acid blockers can also assist in the treatment of GERD.
- Dumping Syndrome
It is a collection of symptoms e.g. nausea, diarrhea and feeling-light headed or tired after eating a meal. This problem is caused by rapid gastric emptying. Gastric emptying is a condition in which food moves very fast from the stomach to the small intestine (Duodenum), thus stomach becomes empty in no time after eating a meal.
Symptoms
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal cramping
- Sweating
- Flushing
- Rapid heartbeat
Generally, there are two types of symptoms of Dumping Syndrome
- Early Syndrome occurs within 30 minutes of eating food.
- Late Syndrome appears 1 to 3 hours after eating food.
Causes
Surgery of the stomach or esophagus is the common cause of Dumping Syndrome and Rapid Gastric emptying.
Treatment
- Some people with Dumping Syndrome have mild symptoms that improve over time through simple changes in their diet or eating habits.
- Medicine
- Surgery
- Changing lifestyle of eating i.e. how and what to eat.
Diet
A patient is recommended to eat more protein, fiber, and fats.
- Bloating
Abdominal bloating occurs when the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is filled with gas. In this condition abdomen of a person may swollen (distended), becomes hard, and painful.
Bloating sometimes accumulated abdominal pain, excessive gas, and belching. Bloating is more common in both adults and in children. It blocks the ability to do work and taking part in social activities.
Symptoms
- Weight loss
- Vaginal bleeding
- Blood in stool
- Fever
- Heartburn
- Vomiting
- Nausea
Causes
- Pancreatic Insufficiency
- Ovarian Cancer
- Intestinal parasite infection
- Hormonal flux ( in the case of women)
- Heartburn
- Stress or depression
- Weight gain
- Food intolerance
Treatment
Abdominal Bloating can be diminished by adopting simple style changes e.g. losing weight if a person is overweight.
To avoid swallowing too much air: a person should,
- Eat slowly
- Reduce intake of carbonated drinks
- Use free lactose dairy products
- Avoid taking chewing gum. Chewing gum causes one to swallow too much air which results in bloating
- Avoid gas-causing foods, e.g. cabbage family, dried beans