Digestive disorders: definition
Digestive disorders are a group of symptoms related to the functioning of the digestive system. Disease causing digestive disorders, acute or chronic, are very numerous, so you have to consult an accurate diagnosis is made.
The most common digestive disorders are benign but painful: sluggishness in digestion (dyspepsia), heartburn (gastritis), heartburn (heartburn), eructation (aerophagia with hiatal hernia) or intestinal bloating with alternating diarrhea and constipation (irritable bowel syndrome). Also known as functional bowel disorders (TFI).
It is rare that these digestive disorders lead to emergency surgery.
Risks and consequences of digestive disorders
The main risk is rare, is to be confronted with an illness requiring urgent care, such as appendicitis. Especially since many digestive disorders are caused by adjacent organs: salpingitis, prostatitis, renal colic ... Do not miss these diagnoses, which nevertheless remain a small minority in all digestive disorders.
For most patients, the daily discomfort affects the quality of life: intestinal bloating, heartburn, acid reflux (heartburn) that can disrupt sleep. The prevalence of heartburn is about 35%, the heartburn 21% and 13% irritable bowel syndrome (Observatory of general medicine, SFMG, 2005).
If functional bowel disorders are not dangerous but painful, eventually some digestive disorders can lead to real harm if the diagnosis of the cause is not done: malabsorption (celiac disease), stomach ulcers, diverticular disease ...
In addition, a digestive disorder sustainable without definite diagnosis can neglect the development of a tumor. It is possible to have more than one digestive disease! which a tumor is more common with advancing age. Regular consultations allow the detection of colon cancer.
Causes and origins of digestive disorders
Purely digestive disorders have multiple mechanisms, often associated: anatomical, hormonal, neurological, nutritional, infectious, allergic and inflammatory diseases.
Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic digestive disorder where it says Benin showed a lower sensitivity colic, painful reactions explaining excessive. It combines various degrees of autonomic disorders, sometimes anatomical familial predisposition and dietary errors. The heightened sensitivity to pain, neural reflexes installed do not allow rapid resolution except to take care of all cases simultaneously.
Spasms (or colic), the feeling of overflow, the rise of gastric juice, intestinal gas are favored by stress, anxiety, fatigue, as well as overeating or absorbed too quickly without sufficient mastication .
Signs and symptoms of digestive disorders
Symptoms are related to the mechanism of digestion and often punctuated by meals. Heartburn (epigastric pain) occur shortly after a meal in gastritis, lifts acids occur at bedtime rather lying down, bloating of irritable bowel syndrome in the day between meals.
Alternating symptoms of constipation and diarrhea often observed in irritable bowel syndrome, but may also reflect a tumor formation. This requires careful monitoring.
In the stomach ulcer, pain occur one to two hours after meals and are relieved by food intake.
Dyspepsia often accompanies a hearty meal, rich in fat and alcohol, and manifests itself by symptoms of heaviness, nausea or vomiting, bloating and slow digestion.
In infants, colic manifest themselves difficult to calm crying before three months on average. They are due to the immaturity of the digestive system and gas distended bowel whose nerves are hypersensitive.
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