The digestive system is one of the essential and indispensable body systems, as it deals with the food that reaches the body, digests and analyzes it and allows it to be distributed to the cells and organs of the body in order to obtain the energy and compounds necessary for its work.

When the digestive system is affected by some health problems, the quality of life as a whole is affected, and the person suffers from annoying symptoms that in most cases require changes to the lifestyle.

But What Are the 5 Diseases of the Digestive System? This is what we will learn together through the following paragraphs.

Five Major Diseases Affecting Digestion

What Are the 5 Diseases of the Digestive System?

The digestive system consists of the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus, in addition to the liver, pancreas, salivary glands, and gallbladder, all of which contribute to the completion of the digestive process.

A health problem affecting any of these organs can cause annoying symptoms.

The five most important diseases affecting the digestive system include:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): This disease occurs when stomach acid flows backwards and affects the tissues of the esophagus, causing some annoying symptoms such as heartburn, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, sleep disturbance, chronic cough and throat infections.
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): This is a common digestive disorder that affects the large intestine. Its exact cause is unknown, and its symptoms include abdominal pain and cramps, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, and irregular bowel movements.

• Celiac disease: This is an autoimmune disease that causes symptoms when you eat foods that contain the protein gluten, such as wheat, barley, and rye. If left untreated, the problem can damage your intestines, preventing you from absorbing essential nutrients and causing severe disruption to your body’s functions. Symptoms include diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
• Ulcerative colitis: It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. It is caused by a disorder of the immune system and causes chronic inflammation and painful ulcers on the inner lining of the large intestine. Its symptoms include diarrhea with blood or pus, abdominal pain and cramps, rectal pain and bleeding, urgent need to defecate, difficulty defecation, weight loss, fatigue, fever, and failure to thrive in children.
• Crohn’s disease: Another form of inflammatory bowel disease, it can spread to other areas of the digestive tract and reach deeper layers of the intestinal lining than others. This disease is extremely debilitating and can cause life-threatening complications. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and cramps. (plus, n.d.)

Digestive Conditions That Impact Health

Gastrointestinal conditions range from mild to severe, and the most common are:

• Heartburn: A burning sensation in the chest and throat caused by stomach acid flowing back up into the esophagus.
• Irritable bowel syndrome: A digestive disorder that causes bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and stomach pain.
• Hemorrhoids: Inflammation of the blood vessels around the anus that can cause itching and bleeding.
• Celiac disease: This occurs in people with gluten sensitivity.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease: This occurs due to frequent reflux of stomach acid due to a weak sphincter between the esophagus and stomach.

Other digestive conditions:

• Gallstones.
• Lactose intolerance.
• Pancreatitis.
• Crohn’s disease.
• Ulcerative colitis.
• Diverticulitis. (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases , n.d.)

Most Serious Disorders of the Digestive System

After we know What Are the 5 Diseases of the Digestive System? Here are the serious digestive disorders that require urgent medical intervention:

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which cause bleeding and malnutrition.
• Colon and rectal cancer: A common and deadly type of cancer, which often begins as benign tumors.
• Celiac disease: An autoimmune disease caused by eating gluten, which damages the lining of the small intestine if left untreated.
• Severe gastroesophageal reflux disease: This disease causes significant damage to the lining of the esophagus, leading to complications such as bleeding and esophageal cancer.

• Stomach ulcers: Open sores in the stomach or duodenum, which can bleed if left untreated.
• Intestinal obstruction: This disease prevents the passage of food, causing severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
• Rupture of an organ (such as an appendix): A medical emergency that causes significant internal bleeding and infection.
• Ischemic colitis: A condition in which blood flow to the colon is severely reduced, which can lead to tissue damage.

References

1. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . (n.d.). Retrieved from Digestive Diseases
2. Medline plus, (n.d.). Retrieved from Digestive diseases