Digestive System Disorders

Digestive system disorders are very common and are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. 

With a whole variety of symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, wind, weight loss, rectal bleeding and tiredness it is only right that I should highlight some of these conditions that have been covered in detail on this website. Below, you can find links to the main digestive disorders and short descriptions of each condition. I will also highlight some of the investigations that are undertaken for these conditions.

The ABC of Common Digestive Tract Disorders

I have placed the digestive tract disorders below in alphabetical order for ease of use. They are in no way complete, but certainly the main conditions are covered for you. Just click on the picture links to view more specific details.

Bowel Obstruction

There are 3 types of bowel obstruction depending on where the obstruction is. They can be classified as either large bowel obstruction affecting the colon or small bowel obstruction affecting the duodenum, jejunum or ileum. The 3rd type is pseudobstruction. This isn't a true physical obstruction, but it is due to loss of bowel movement or motility due to a variety of conditions. You can read more about this by going to the bowel obstruction symptoms page.

Celiac disease

Celiac disease is one of the digestive system disorders that affects the small bowel. It is caused by gluten, a protein that is contained within wheat, rye and barley. This results in damage to the small bowel lining and results in problems with diarrhea, weight loss, growth issues, skin problems and much more. You can read all about this including investigation and management by going to the the celiac disease page.

Colon cancer

Colon or bowel cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK. Symptoms include a change in bowel habit, bleeding, weight loss and abdominal pain. The symptoms might not occur until quite late in the illness so it is important that people at risk should be screened for the disease. You can learn more about colon cancer by going to the colon cancer page.

Constipation

Constipation is one of the most common digestive system disorders. There are medical conditions that can cause constipation, but often there is no obvious cause and this is known as idiopathic constipation. There are various ways of tackling constipation and you can learn more about this and much more by going to the constipation page.

Diverticulitis symptoms

Diverticulitis is a condition where pouches in the bowel called diverticulae become inflamed and infected. This results in symptoms including abdominal pain, fever, diarrhea and rectal bleeding. Diverticulae occur in the large bowel predominantly, particularly in the left side of the large bowel. It is one of the common digestive system disorders and you can learn more about this by going to the diverticulitis page.

Haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids or piles can cause pain, bleeding, discharge and itch from the anus or back passage. They are prominent blood vessels that can easily bleed and are extremely common. You can learn more about these by going to the haemorrhoid page.

IBS

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is one of the most common digestive disorders. It causes symptoms of abdominal pain, altered bowel habit, wind, bloating and much more. You can learn more about this by going to the Irritable Bowel Syndrome page.

Indigestion

Indigestion is the most common of all digestive disorders. Treatment for this is a big burden on health care resources worldwide. You can learn more about indigestion and its treatment by going to the indigestion page.

Investigation of Digestive Disorders

There are many investigations that can be undertaken for digestive disorders. These can be anything from blood tests to stool tests to specialist x-ray test and endoscopic camera investigations of the bowel. The type of investigation really depends on the symptoms you have and your doctor would be able to advise you on this. You can learn more about specific investigations and much more by going to the investigation page.