Inflammation and digestive disorders -
In the mouth, chewing mechanically breaks down and mixes food, while saliva begins to modify it chemically, thus beginning the digestive process.
Chewing and swallowing ingesting require conscious effort, but once food reaches the esophagus, an automatic, rhythmic motion peristalsis takes over, propelling the contents along. Several body systems provide the chemicals necessary to complete digestion, absorption, and elimination.
If all is going well, the passage of food from one area of the intestines to the next is precisely coordinated, so that it stays in each area for just the right amount of time.
Transit time is the duration between when you take a bite of your meal and when leftover waste finally passes out as stool feces. A meal could take anywhere from hours to travel through the digestive tract.
Each person is unique; a normal bowel movement pattern for one person may be very different from those of family members or friends. Some individuals have an irregular pattern, never knowing what to expect. The composition and quantity of dietary intake, the presence of a GI disease or disorder, and other factors influence transit time.
It increases in diameter as it receives food, holding up to a maximum of about 4 litres but do not eat so much as to extend the stomach fully. The lower part of the GI tract includes the small and large intestines. The names of these parts are a bit confusing, as the small intestine is about three times as long as the large intestine.
Small and large refer to the diameter, which for the small intestine is about 2. The small intestine is a long and narrow coiled tube that extends from the stomach to the large intestine, winding around within the abdomen.
It has an enormous internal surface area due to the presence of millions of tiny finger-like protrusions called villi, which are covered in hair-like protrusions called microvilli.
This is where most digestion and absorption of food takes place. Functions of the small intestine include secreting digestive enzymes and buffers, and absorbing nutrients.
Iron is absorbed in the duodenum, and vitamin B12 and bile salts are absorbed in the last part of the ileum terminal ileum. The mucosa is the innermost layer of the GI tract wall.
In the small intestine, it is responsible for both the secretion of digestive juices and the absorption of nutrients. The second layer is the submucosa, which consists of a dense layer of connective tissue with blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves. Outside of the submucosa is a layer of muscle, the muscularis externa.
As these muscles contract, they propel food along the digestive tract. The outermost layer is the serosa, a thin layer of cells that secrete fluid, which reduces the friction caused by muscle movement. The first part of the colon, the cecum, connects to the small intestine at the ileocecal valve, in the lower right area of the abdomen.
The rest of the large bowel consists of the ascending colon going upward on the right side of the abdomen , transverse colon going leftward across the abdomen , and descending colon going downward on the left side of the body , followed by the sigmoid colon.
Altogether, the large intestine colon is about 1. The main function of the colon is to absorb water, form stool, and eliminate waste. The large intestine does not secrete digestive enzymes and does not have villi. The colon contains many varieties of friendly bacteria and yeasts to aid digestion and to prevent proliferation of harmful bacteria and yeasts.
Although not directly part of the digestive tract, the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas serve as accessory organs that are vital to the digestive process. Since we are all unique, issues discussed here will not apply to every person with IBD. However, we hope this information helps you understand this complex and chronic disease.
Please be sure to discuss your particular circumstances with the healthcare professionals involved in your care. These diseases have a few similarities but differ significantly in two key ways: the area of the digestive tract affected and the extent of the inflammation.
Area Affected: Ulcerative colitis only involves the colon and always begins at the anus, with the disease continuously progressing upward. In some cases, it can involve the entire large intestine. The inflammatory process causes dilation of blood vessels with increased warmth, oozing of fluid into the tissue, infiltration with inflammatory cells, and ulceration of the mucosa.
Inflammation can result from infectious agents such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, or even viruses. It can also arise from a chemical exposure, burn, trauma, or several other causes. The exact mechanism of IBD is undetermined but there is considerable research evidence to suggest that interactions between environmental factors, intestinal bacteria, immune dysregulation, and genetic predisposition are responsible.
There is an increased risk for those who have a family member with the condition. A diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease can occur at any point throughout life, with a high occurrence in youth and then again around years of age. Approximately 0. The most common symptom of IBD is diarrhea. Inflammation can affect transit time, usually causing food to pass more quickly and allowing less time for water absorption, resulting in watery stool.
Since the lining of the colon may be ulcerated, the diarrhea often contains blood. In the later stages of the disease, the colon can narrow and shorten, impairing water absorption further, leading to urgency of bowel movements and poor control of elimination function. Constipation can also develop, as the body struggles to maintain normal bowel function.
Abdominal pain is another common symptom. Like muscles elsewhere in the body, the muscular coat of the intestine can spasm and inflamed intestines are irritable and more likely to spasm. This, in turn, applies pressure upon the extensive nerve endings in the bowel wall.
This explains some types of pain in IBD, particularly cramping. Occasionally, the narrowing is so severe that a blockage of the intestine occurs, requiring immediate medication and, less frequently, surgical intervention. Those with IBD can experience tenesmus, which is the feeling of incomplete defecation, as well as a sudden, short, severe type of pain at the opening of the rectum.
In children, a delay in growth and maturity might result. If possible, it is best to consult a pediatric gastroenterologist, who has specific training to manage the special needs of the growing child. Large pus pockets or abscesses may accumulate, producing severe pain and fever.
An abnormal, tunnel-like connection between the intestine and the skin, called a fistula, may occur. When this connection is near the opening of the rectum, it is called an anal fistula. Fistulae also may occur between loops of intestine within the abdomen or between the intestine and the abdominal wall.
Abdominal surgery can increase the risk of fistulae. Anemia , or low red blood cell count, commonly occurs from blood loss due to the ulcerations in the lining of the intestine. Occasionally, blood loss may be so severe that the patient requires a blood transfusion.
Other manifestations of IBD include arthritis, skin problems, liver disease, kidney stones, and eye inflammation. Malfunction of the intestinal tract may occur for a wide variety of reasons and some symptoms diarrhea, pain, and weight loss may be very similar to symptoms of other diseases or disorders.
The accurate diagnosis of IBD is essential, and a physician will take steps to exclude other conditions. A careful evaluation of the history of the illness is the first step toward a correct diagnosis. The physician will review factors such as when and how the symptoms began, what subsequent problems occurred, the nature of the diarrhea, the type of abdominal pain, as well as the characteristics and quantity of rectal bleeding.
In ulcerative colitis, the most useful diagnostic tool is the sigmoidoscope, a short instrument that allows visualization of the inside of the lower bowel. If necessary, during this procedure a physician can biopsy any suspected areas for further investigation.
Viewing the lining of the colon with this instrument at regular intervals throughout the healing process allows a physician to monitor the disease. Although less likely, a physician might request a barium X-ray.
When needed for the upper GI area, you will drink a liquid that coats the walls of the esophagus and stomach. This drink contains barium, which shows up as bright white on X-rays, providing a contrasting picture of the shape and function of the upper GI tract.
When needed to provide details of the lower GI tract, you will undergo a barium-containing enema to allow the physician to view the contours of the bowel.
However, a colonoscopy offers a diagnostic advantage over a barium enema X-ray in that a physician can take biopsies during this procedure.
Other diagnostic tools include blood tests and examination of a stool sample for infectious agents and hidden occult blood. Ultrasound, CT scans, and MRI are helpful in looking for complications of IBD but are not necessarily useful in making the primary diagnosis.
The treatment of inflammatory bowel disease is multi-faceted; it includes managing the symptoms and consequences of the disease along with following a medicine regimen targeted at reducing the underlying inflammation. An important, overarching challenge is managing nutrition intake when disease has compromised the digestive system.
However, there are other factors and symptoms contributing to malnutrition in patients with either disease. Depending on disease symptoms, a person with IBD may feel unwell, and the sensations of food passing through the digestive tract can be so uncomfortable that this might lead to food avoidance or food choices that might not provide a balanced diet.
Better overall nutrition offers the body a better base from which to heal itself, but dietary changes on their own are insufficient to address inflammatory bowel diseases. If bleeding is excessive, anemia may occur, and further modifications to the diet will be necessary to compensate for this.
Depending on the extent and location of inflammation, you might have to follow a special diet, including supplementation. We encourage you to consult a registered dietitian, who can help set up an effective, personalized nutrition plan by addressing disease-specific deficiencies and your sensitive digestive tract.
Some foods may irritate and increase symptoms even though they do not worsen the disease. Specialized diets, easy to digest meal substitutes elemental formulations , and fasting with intravenous feeding total parenteral nutrition can achieve incremental degrees of bowel rest.
The symptoms of IBD are the most distressing component of the disease, and direct treatment of these symptoms, particularly pain and diarrhea, will improve quality of life.
A number of treatments exist to address diarrhea and pain. Dietary adjustment may be beneficial and anti-diarrheal medications have a major role to play. Home Health A to Z Back to Health A to Z. Inflammatory bowel disease. Information: IBD is different to irritable bowel syndrome IBS , even though some of the symptoms may be similar.
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:. you have diarrhoea that lasts more than 7 days you have tummy pain or bloating that will not go away or keeps coming back you have blood or mucus clear slime in your poo you've been losing a lot of weight without trying.
IBD can increase the risk of colon cancer, which is the third most common cancer among men and women in the United States. A stricture can prevent food from traveling normally through the digestive tract, causing nausea and vomiting.
A stricture can slowly develop over time without you even knowing it. Then, one day, they have a lot of nausea and vomiting, which means the stricture may be very narrow and needs immediate medical attention, which may include surgery.
If you see a dermatologist for a rash or a rheumatologist for joint pain, you may be referred to a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy to rule out IBD. The good news?
Medications are available that can treat skin rash, joint pain, and intestinal inflammation simultaneously. But for people with IBD, abdominal pain can linger and increase over time. Ongoing abdominal pain can be a signal of an IBD flare, an intestinal blockage, or a severe infection of the colon.
If you have one or more of these five symptoms, see a gastroenterologist. Research , Press Releases. The norovirus infection blocks the release of protein meant to protect gut lining cells from damage.
We can help you find a doctor.
Federal government websites Inflammation and digestive disorders end in. digewtive or. The site digestuve secure. Inflammatory bowel Digestivd IBD is the name for a group of conditions that cause the digestive system to become inflamed red, swollen, and sometimes painful. The most common types of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. These cause similar symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. IBD affects women in unique ways.
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