What is Digestive Disorder?
When a group of conditions that occurs when, the digestive system malfunctions. There are two types of digestive disorders.
- Organic gastrointestinal disorder - when there are structural abnormalities in the digestive system.
- Functional gastrointestinal disorder - structurally normal digestive tract, yet doesn’t function well.
Common Digestive Disorders
1. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) - When the contents of a person’s stomach come up to their oesophagus, acid reflux occurs. When this happens frequently, it is called GERD. GERD is a long-term condition. Esophagitis is a condition that occurs if a person is affected by GERD. Irritation and inflammation of the oesophagus are the two main symptoms of esophagitis. It is also possible for an individual to have GERD without being affected by esophagitis.
GERD can be caused by a number of factors like inhaling smoke, obesity, pregnancy, certain medications and hiatal hernia. Common symptoms of GERD include chest pain, nausea, heartburn, pain when swallowing and acid reflux. GERD is normally treated by treating the underlying cause. Doctors might also recommend the patients to quit smoking, take over-the-counter medications and make dietary changes.
2. Gallstones - During digestion, the body uses bile to digest the food. This bile is stored in a small sac called as the gallbladder. Gallstones are stones that are very small, that form in the gallbladder. As a person doesn’t normally have any symptoms of having gallstones, it usually goes unnoticed.
But when the stone is formed in the opening of the gallbladder, they might have symptoms like nausea, constant pain below the ribs, sweating, vomiting, jaundice and high temperature. Treatment includes the removal of the gallbladder or the removal of stones from the bile duct.
3. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) - SIBO happens when the bacteria, which is supposed to be in the large intestine, move to the small intestine. This could cause symptoms like constipation, bloating and diarrhoea. Treatment of SIBO includes medication for the underlying cause, medication for digestion or taking antibiotics.
4. Ulcerative Colitis (UC) - UC causes inflammation in the rectum and large intestine, this may also extend to other parts of the intestine with time. This is a type of IBD.
Symptoms of UC may range from tiredness, long-term diarrhoea, weight loss and abdominal pain. Treatment options include surgery, dietary changes, and medications to reduce the swelling. The sooner a person gets diagnosed and starts treatment for their UC, the better it is in the long run.
5. Celiac Disease - Celiac Disease is a serious condition, unlike non-celiac gluten sensitivity. It is an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks the intestinal lining when a person eats food with gluten.
Symptoms of celiac disease are bloating, nausea, vomiting, constipation, gas, abdominal pain, long-term diarrhoea and stools that are yellow and smell awful. If left untreated, celiac disease may lead to bone softening, nervous system issues, problems in reproduction and malnutrition. Treatment options depend on how soon the diagnosis is made.
6. Crohn’s Disease - Crohn’s Disease causes chronic inflammation mostly in the small intestine and in the GI tract. It is a type of IBD. The most common symptoms of Crohn’s disease are blood stool, fatigue, weight loss, stomach pain and chronic diarrhoea. Treatment options for Crohn’s disease are surgery and medications to reduce the inflammation, and some may require bowel rests to let the intestine heal.
7. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - IBS is a condition in which people may experience constipation or diarrhoea or sometimes even both. They majorly get abdominal pain either before or after bowel movement. Other symptoms of IBS are bloating, incomplete bowel movements and white mucous in the stool. People with IBS often would have gone through traumatic events in life or might be suffering from some mental health condition. IBS is mainly treated by treating the underlying cause and making dietary changes.
Conclusion
Digestive disorders affect many people in the world. This is a condition where, in most cases, there is bloating, diarrhoea, constipation and nausea since it involves the GI tract. The digestive disorder is seen as a group of conditions that occurs when the digestive system malfunctions.
