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The system is controlled by the Central Nervous System globally and the Enteric Nervous System locally. In addition, there are symbiotic bacteria taking up residence inside. They can be friends or enemies depending on circumstance. The worse can cause illness, normally one of their end products (in the form of gas) is just a minor inconvenience upsetting only social etiquette. Table 05 lists some of the digestive system diseases as shown in Figure 20. |
Figure 18 Digestive System |
Figure 19 Digestive Functions |
Figure 20 Digestive Diseases |
BTW, the end product of nucleic acid, i.e., the nitrogenous bases looks innocent, but it can induce
gout causing lot of pain in the joints. |
| Disease | Symptom(s) | Cause(s) | Treatment(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achalasia | Difficulty in swallowing, regurgitation, chest pain | Failure of smooth muscle fibers to relax | Lifestyle change, medication, pneumatic dilatation, surgery (  see link) |
| Appendicitis | Pain near the navel, loss of appetite, nausea and/or vomiting, abdominal swelling, fever of 99-102oF, inability to pass gas, ... | Inflammation of blocked appendix often by stool, a foreign body, or cancer | Surgery ( see link) |
| Barrett's Esophagus | Chronic heartburn, trouble swallowing (dysphagia), vomiting blood (hematemesis) (GERD progression to premalignant condition) |
Normal tissue replaced by intestinal tissue | Medications, diet, surgery ( see link) |
| Carcinoma in Epithelial Tissues | Bleeding into the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, severe abdominal pain and vomiting | Abnormal DNA, mostly genetic | Surgery, chemotherapy, drug ( see link) |
| Cirrhosis | Fatigue, loss of appetite, yellowing/itchy skin, swelling in ankles/legs/abdomen, blood in the stool, fever, brownish urine, light colored stools | Scar tissue blocks blood flow in liver induced by virus, fat, alcohol abuse | Lifestyle changes, medications, liver transplant ( see link) |
| Colon Polyps | 95% no symptom, small amount of blood in stool | DNA mutation, old age, obesity, smoker | Mostly benignant but can become cancerous, removal by endoscope ( see link) |
| Diabetes | Frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger | Insulin disorder causing high blood sugar levels - results of obesity and lack of exercise or genetic | Lifestyle change, medications, pancreatic transplantation ( see link) |
| Diverticulosis of Colon | No symptom, sometimes leading to infection in the pouches (diverticulitis) | Pouches form in the wall of the colon by high pressure due to low fiber diet | High fiber diet, plenty of fluid, exercise, regular bowel movement ( see link) |
| Gallstones | Intense pain in the upper-right side of the abdomen, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting | Stone formation in gallbladder/bile duct caused by inherited disposition or low calorie diet | Medication, laparoscopy, lithotripsy (breaking up the stone by ultrasonic shock wave), surgery ( see link) |
| Gastritis (Greek : Gastro=Stomach, itis=inflammation) | Nausea, abdominal bloating/pain, vomiting, indigestion, hiccups, loss of appetite, vomiting blood, black/tarry stools | Damage to stomach lining via alcohol abuse, chronic vomiting, stress, anemia, medications, H. pylori | Drug (such as antacids), antibiotics, avoiding spicy foods ( see link) |
| Heartburn / GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) | Burning sensation in the back of the throat, chronic cough, laryngitis (hoarse voice), nausea. | Stomach acid back up into the esophagus via open sphincter | Lifestyle changes, medicine, surgery for the more serious case of GERD ( see link) |
| Hemorrhoids | Bleeding during bowel movements, itching, and rectal pain | Pressure on the veins in the pelvic and rectal area (may be caused by persistent diarrhea or constipation) | Changes to diet and bowel habits, fixative procedures, surgery ( see link) |
| Hernia | Protrusion of intestines through the abdominal wall in the form of a bulge, may have pain, nausea, vomiting | Old age, heavy lifting, hard coughing, sharp blows, incorrect posture | Sewing the hole, using surgical mesh (preferably with Laparoscope) ( see link) |
| Hepatitis(Greek : Hepat=Liver, itis=inflammation) | Loss of appetite, fatigue, mild fever, muscle/joint aches, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain | Alcoholism, medications, infection of the liver by the virus Hepatitis A, B, or C | Antiviral agent ( see link) |
| Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) : Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis | Abdominal pain, diarrhea (may be bloody), fever and weight loss | Genetic (immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract); CD can occur in all gastrointestinal tract, UC only affects the colon | Medically incurable, use immunosuppression to control the symptom ( see link) |
| Peptic Ulcers in esophagus, stomach, and duodenum | Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, hematemesis, melena (foul-smelling feces) | Chronic inflammation (by H. pylori bacteria) | Antibiotics, misoprostol, surgery ( see link) |
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Some creatures have different digestive system from that in human. For example, the boa constrictor eats its prey in whole. It takes weeks to absorb the food following by weeks of fasting. The state and physical size of the digestive system actually change according to the requirement. Figure 21a shows the anatomy of a snake, every organ becomes elongated to suit the physical shape. Another example is the ruminants such as the cow, which relies on the bacteria in its many stomachs to digest the fibre that has no nutritional value to humans (Figure 21b). Surprisingly, they suffer similar kind of gastroenterological diseases inflicted on human. |
Figure 21a Digestive System of Boa |
Figure 21b Digestive System of Cow [view large image] |
See Veterinary Care for snakes and cows |
