Gastrointestinal illnesses include GERD, diarrhea, and colorectal cancer. When the GI tract is inspected, certain disorders reveal no abnormalities, yet symptoms persist. Other disorders have symptoms, and there are obvious GI tract anomalies. The majority of gastrointestinal disorders may be avoided and/or cured.
What are the different types of digestive system diseases?
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which runs from the mouth to the anus, is affected by gastrointestinal illnesses. Functional and structural are the two categories. Nausea/vomiting, food poisoning, lactose intolerance, and diarrhea are just a few examples.
What are functional gastrointestinal illnesses, and how can you know if you have one?
When the GI tract is checked, it seems normal, but it does not move correctly. This is referred to as a functional illness. They are the most frequent gastrointestinal issues (including the colon and rectum). Common symptoms include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), nausea, food poisoning, gas, bloating, GERD, and diarrhea. Many things can wreak havoc on your GI tract's motility (ability to keep moving), including:
- Eating a diet low in fiber.
- Not getting enough exercise.
- Traveling or other changes in routine.
- Eating large amounts of dairy products.
- Stress.
- Resisting the urge to have a bowel movement, possibly because of hemorrhoids.
- Overusing anti-diarrheal medications that, over time, weaken the bowel muscle movements called motility.
- Taking antacid medicines containing calcium or aluminum.
- Taking certain medicines (especially antidepressants, iron pills and strong pain medicines such as narcotics).
- Pregnancy.
What are structural digestive system diseases?
The term "structural digestive system (gastrointestinal) illnesses" refers to conditions in which your colon appears odd and does not function correctly. Surgical removal of the structural anomaly is sometimes required. Strictures, stenosis, hemorrhoids, diverticular disease, colon polyps, colon cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease are all instances of structural GI illnesses.
Constipation
Constipation is a functional condition in which you are unable to have a bowel movement (or pass stools), your stools are infrequent (less than three times per week), or your stools are incomplete.
Constipation is frequently caused by a lack of "roughage" or fiber in your diet, as well as a change in your normal routine or diet. During a bowel movement, constipation forces you to strain. It can result in tiny, hard stools as well as anal issues including fissures and hemorrhoids. Constipation is almost never a symptom of a more serious medical problem. You may get rid of constipation by doing the following:
- Increasing the amount of fiber and water to your diet.
- Exercising regularly and increasing the intensity of your exercises as tolerated.
- Moving your bowels when you have the urge (resisting the urge causes constipation).
- Laxatives can be added if these therapy options do not work.
- Keep in mind that you should get your colon cancer screening done on a regular basis.
- Always follow the laxative medicine's directions as well as your healthcare provider's recommendations.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome (also known as spastic colon, irritable colon, IBS, or anxious stomach) is a functional illness in which the muscles of your colon contract more or less often than "normal." Certain foods, medications, and mental stress are all known to cause IBS. IBS symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain and cramps.
- Excess gas.
- Bloating.
- Change in bowel habits such as harder, looser, or more urgent stools than normal.
- Alternating constipation and diarrhea.
Treatment includes:
- Avoiding excessive caffeine.
- Increasing fiber in your diet.
- Monitoring which foods trigger your IBS (and avoiding these foods).
- Minimizing stress or learning different ways to cope with stress.
- Taking medicines as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
- Avoiding dehydration, and hydrating well throughout the day.
- Getting high quality rest/sleep.
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are structural disorders caused by dilated veins in the anal canal. Your anal hole is lined with enlarged blood vessels. Chronic excess pressure from straining during bowel movements, severe diarrhea, or pregnancy might cause them. Internal and external hemorrhoids are the two forms of hemorrhoids.
Internal hemorrhoids
Blood vessels on the inside of your anal entrance are known as internal hemorrhoids. They get inflamed and begin to bleed when they fall down into the anus as a result of straining. Internal hemorrhoids can eventually go down to the point where they prolapse (sink or stick) out of the anus.
Treatment includes:
- Improving bowel habits (such as avoiding constipation, not straining during bowel movements and moving your bowels when you have the urge).
- Your healthcare provider using ligating bands to eliminate the vessels.
- Your healthcare provider removing them surgically. Surgery is needed only for a small number of people with very large, painful and persistent hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids on the outside
External hemorrhoids are veins on the exterior of the anus that are just beneath the skin. External hemorrhoidal veins can break and blood clots develop under the skin as a result of straining. A "pile" is the medical term for this extremely painful ailment. The clot and vein are removed under local anesthetic, and the hemorrhoid is removed as well.
Anal fissures
Anal fissures are a structural problem as well. They're fissures or cracks in the anal opening's lining.
The passing of very hard or wet feces is the most prevalent cause of an anal fissure. The underlying muscles that govern the movement of stool through the anus and out of the body are exposed by the gap in the anal lining. An anal fissure is one of the most unpleasant issues because exposed muscles become inflamed by feces or air, resulting in acute searing pain, bleeding, or spasm following bowel movements. Anal fissures are initially treated with pain relievers, dietary fiber to prevent big, bulky stools, and sitz baths (sitting in a few inches of warm water). If these therapies fail to reduce your discomfort, surgery to restore the sphincter muscle may be required.
Perianal abscesses
Perianal abscesses, which are also structural diseases, arise when the small anal glands that open on the inside of your anus get clogged, allowing bacteria to infect the area. An abscess is formed when pus forms. The abscess is treated by draining it at the doctor's office, generally under local anaesthetic.
Anal fistula
An anal fistula is an irregular tube-like pathway from the anal canal to a hole in the skin near the mouth of your anus that typically occurs after drainage of an abscess. Body wastes that go via your anal canal are rerouted through this little channel and out through the skin, producing discomfort and itching.
Drainage, discomfort, and bleeding are all symptoms of fistulas. They seldom heal on their own, and surgery to drain the abscess and "seal off" the fistula is frequently required.
Other perianal infections
With some cases, such as in this structural condition, the skin glands surrounding your anus get infected and need to be drained. Abscesses can occur just behind the anus, containing a little tuft of hair at the rear of the pelvis (called a pilonidal cyst). Anal warts, herpes, AIDS, chlamydia, and gonorrhea are among sexually transmitted illnesses that can damage the anus.
Diverticular disease
The presence of tiny outpouchings (diverticula) in the muscular wall of your large intestine that occur in weaker sections of the gut is the structural illness diverticulosis. The sigmoid colon, a high-pressure portion of the bottom large intestine, is where they frequently appear. Diverticular illness is relatively frequent in Western societies, affecting 10% of persons over the age of 40 and 50% of people over the age of 60. Too little roughage (fiber) in the diet is a common reason. Diverticulitis can arise from diverticulosis in some cases.
Diverticular disease complications affect roughly 10% of persons with outpouchings. Infection or inflammation (diverticulitis), hemorrhage, and blockage are among them. Diverticulitis is treated by relieving constipation and, in severe cases, by using antibiotics. In individuals who have serious difficulties, surgery is required to remove the implicated diseased portion of the colon as a last option.
Colon polyps and cancer
Colorectal cancer is the second most frequent type of cancer in the United States, with 130,000 Americans diagnosed each year. Colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable kinds of cancer, thanks to breakthroughs in early identification and treatment. It is feasible to prevent, identify, and cure the condition long before symptoms occur by employing a range of screening tests.
The importance of screening
Polyps, benign (non-cancerous) growths in the tissues lining your colon and rectum, are the start of almost all colorectal malignancies. When these polyps become larger, abnormal cells form and infiltrate the surrounding tissue, cancer occurs. Polyp removal can help prevent colorectal cancer from developing. Almost all precancerous polyps may be removed painlessly with a colonoscope, a flexible lighted tube. Colorectal cancer can spread throughout the body if it is not detected early. Advanced cancer necessitates more sophisticated surgical procedures. Because most early types of colorectal cancer do not cause symptoms, screening is critical. When symptoms do appear, it's possible that the cancer is already progressed. Blood in or mixed with the stool, a change in typical bowel habits, stool narrowing, stomach discomfort, weight loss, or persistent weariness are all symptoms. The majority of colorectal cancer cases are discovered in one of four ways:
- By screening people at average risk for colorectal cancer beginning at age 45.
- By screening people at higher risk for colorectal cancer (for example, those with a family history or a personal history of colon polyps or cancer).
- By investigating the bowel in patients with symptoms.
- A chance finding at a routine check-up.
Early detection is the best chance for a cure.
Colitis
There are several types of colitis, which are conditions that cause an inflammation of the bowel. These include:
- Infectious colitis.
- Ulcerative colitis (cause unknown).
- Crohn's disease (cause unknown).
- Ischemic colitis (caused by not enough blood going to the colon).
- Radiation colitis (after radiotherapy).
Diarrhea, rectal bleeding, stomach pains, and a sense of urgency are all symptoms of colitis (frequent and immediate need to empty the bowels). The treatment is determined by the diagnosis, which is obtained by a colonoscopy and biopsy.
Is it possible to prevent gastrointestinal diseases?
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, following excellent bowel habits, and getting examined for cancer can help prevent or reduce many illnesses of the colon and rectum. At the age of 45, persons with an average risk of colon cancer should get a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy may be advised at a younger age if you have a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps. A colonoscopy is usually suggested for people 10 years younger than the afflicted family member. (If your brother was diagnosed with colorectal cancer or polyps at the age of 45, you should start screening at the age of 35.) If you are experiencing signs of colorectal cancer, you should see your doctor very once. Symptoms that are common include:
- A change in normal bowel habits.
- Blood on or in the stool that is either bright or dark.
- Unusual abdominal or gas pains.
- Very narrow stool.
- A feeling that the bowel has not emptied completely after passing stool.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Fatigue.
- Anemia (low blood count).
Other types of gastrointestinal diseases
There are a slew of additional gastrointestinal disorders to consider. Some of them are discussed, but others are not. Gallstones, fecal incontinence, lactose intolerance, Hirschsprung disease, abdominal adhesions, Barrett's esophagus, appendicitis, indigestion (dyspepsia), intestinal pseudo-obstruction, pancreatitis, short bowel syndrome, Whipple's disease, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, malabsorption syndromes, and hepatitis are some of the other.