Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract are the most common in modern world. Poor nutrition, stress and bad habits have a detrimental effect on the health of the stomach and intestines. Let's try to figure out what gastrointestinal diseases are, how to avoid them, and how to treat the stomach and intestines.

In the fight for health, it is important to know the “enemy” by sight. Knowledge of the symptoms and features of the clinical picture will help with this. First of all, pathology of the stomach and intestines is recognized by pain in the abdominal area. Let's look at the signs in order.

Pain

Stomach pain may indicate various diseases

Pathology can be determined by the location of the pain and its nature. If the pain bothers you in the abdomen and radiates to the back, this may indicate constipation. In some cases, pain of this nature indicates the onset of pregnancy or the beginning of menstrual days. This type of pain may be a signal that an ulcer or tumor has begun to develop.

Discomfort in the stomach area often indicates an ulcer that occurs in the posterior region of the organ. Pathology appears as a result of infectious processes. Also risk factors are poor diet and periodic stress.

Pain in the abdominal area, radiating to the back, sometimes indicates the presence of intoxication. If discomfort appears within two hours after eating food, then most likely it is poisoning.

Similar sensations appear in malignant and benign tumors. The formations spread at high speed and can transmit pain to any part of the body, be it the stomach or the brain.

Uncomfortable sensations may also appear as a result of the following phenomena:

• smooth muscle spasm;
• presence of inflammation;
• disturbance in blood flow;
• stretching of organ walls.

Diseases of the stomach and intestines also manifest themselves in other ways. One of them is loss of appetite.

Loss of appetite

Loss of appetite is a symptom to watch out for

Loss of desire to eat is not a specific sign of diseases of the stomach and intestines.

The symptom is characteristic of most pathologies. Nevertheless, stomach diseases are the first to be suspected if you don’t feel like eating. This symptom manifests itself against the background of a decrease in the secretory function of the stomach. In rare clinical presentations, distortion of taste preferences is observed. Thus, a complete aversion to meat dishes can signal stomach cancer.

Belching

Belching may indicate eating disorders, stomach ulcers, oncology and other gastrointestinal pathologies

During the recovery process, it is important to find the right treatment path. Proper nutrition can also eliminate pathology or reduce symptoms. In the treatment of gastrointestinal pathologies, special diets are used.

Diet

For gastrointestinal diseases, you must adhere to the diet recommended by the doctor

Dietary nutrition for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, first of all, involves split meals. The patient needs to eat 6 or more times a day, and the portions should be small.

An important point in compliance proper nutrition is the temperature of the food consumed. It shouldn't be too cold or hot. Warm food will never cause gastrointestinal irritation.

The health of the stomach and intestines depends on the way you eat. Food must be chewed thoroughly. Since finely ground food is easier to digest by the body. For diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is allowed to consume steamed, boiled and baked foods.

It is allowed to eat cereals, soups and broths. However, they must be cooked on a low-fat basis. It is better to make puree from cooked vegetables, this will have a beneficial effect on the health of the stomach and intestines. As a dessert, it is recommended to eat jelly made from various berries and fruits.

It is important to understand that only a doctor can prohibit or authorize certain products for use. It is necessary to discuss with him the possibility of using this or that product.

Preventive measures

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can bring many unpleasant sensations of discomfort. To prevent intestinal and stomach diseases, it is important to know some rules.

• make sure your diet is correct, you can ask your family doctor for advice;
• give up bad habits;
• avoid stress;
• visit a doctor at the first signs of pathology.

Unfortunately, few of our compatriots observe such simple rules. It is important to understand that health is only in our hands.

In order to maintain all life processes, a person needs energy. We take it from food. In order for food to turn into energy and provide the body with all the necessary substances, there is a gastrointestinal tract. Here, primary processing, digestion of food and disposal of its remains take place. Needless to say, any diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can greatly ruin a person’s life. It includes many organs and components, and therefore any violation can seriously affect the digestive processes and seriously harm health. The supply of other organs and systems with necessary substances depends on the correctness and efficiency of the digestive processes, so diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can result in the most different problems. In order to understand exactly what problems may arise, it is necessary to understand how the digestive system works, what components it consists of, and what disorders at what stage can cause diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Gastrointestinal tract: organs and structure

The gastrointestinal tract consists of several sections. Here food undergoes complete processing, saturating the body with useful substances. The first stage of digestion begins in oral cavity. Here food undergoes primary machining. The teeth, tongue, and salivary glands work together to prepare food for the stomach - grinding it and moistening it. This stage is very important; you cannot rush during it. Popular wisdom says that you need to chew each piece 32 times - according to the number of teeth. There is a rational grain in this, because the more thoroughly the food is crushed, the less the load on the gastrointestinal tract. From the oral cavity, food enters the esophagus, which is an intermediate stage between the mouth and stomach. The main digestive process begins in the stomach. While the food in the mouth was being prepared, the stomach had already produced gastric juice and all the necessary enzymes for its digestion. By contracting, the walls of the stomach grind and grind food, and this is where primary absorption and assimilation begin useful substances. An empty stomach is approximately 0.5 liters in volume, but can stretch significantly, increasing in size up to 8 times! The next stage of the gastrointestinal tract is the movement of digested food into the small intestine. The small intestine has 3 sections: duodenum, jejunum and ileum. All parts of the small intestine are lined with tiny villi, which increase the area for absorption of nutrients. This makes it the main absorption organ of the gastrointestinal tract. Numerous studies confirm that if part of the small intestine is removed, the body begins to experience a serious deficiency of nutrients. The large intestine ends the gastrointestinal tract. This includes the cecum, colon and rectum. In the large intestine, the absorption of beneficial components is completed, excess liquid, and feces are formed. They are excreted through the rectum.

The gastrointestinal tract would not be able to perform its functions without auxiliary organs. Salivary glands, pancreas, liver - without them the digestion process cannot be carried out. And the actions of all organs are controlled by the brain, endocrine and immune systems. As you can see, the digestion process is incredibly complex, many organs are involved in it. Each stage is important and necessary, so any violation will affect the condition of the entire organism as a whole.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are caused by disturbances in the functioning of the immune system, which cannot cope with so much harmful factors, whom she meets daily. And if a person has a genetic predisposition, coupled with poor nutrition, tobacco and alcohol abuse, then gastrointestinal diseases will not take long to appear. Let's look at the most common diseases of the digestive system.

Stomatitis is a disease that affects the mucous membrane of the mouth. It can cause very unpleasant sensations. As a result, the ability to chew food well is reduced, which ultimately has a detrimental effect on the functioning of the stomach. The cause of stomatitis is weak immunity.

Esophagitis occurs when the lining of the esophagus becomes inflamed. This can be caused by drinking alcohol, too rough, poorly chewed food, or burns. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract such as esophagitis cause quite severe pain, discomfort. There may be a burning sensation, vomiting, sometimes even mixed with blood.

A huge number of people suffer from heartburn. This condition is associated with increased acidity of gastric juice. When part of it rises into the esophagus, a burning sensation occurs.

Chronic gastritis is the most common gastrointestinal disease. Previously, it was believed that gastritis is a disease of students and people with a frantic pace of life who eat irregularly and incorrectly. Today it is absolutely known that the vast majority of gastritis is caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most common in the world and speaks volumes about how poor the state of the immune system is in most people. Chronic gastritis is an inflammation of the gastric mucosa. In fact, it is a disease that can have very serious consequences. First, the absorption of various beneficial substances, for example, vitamin B12, is impaired. A deficiency of this vitamin leads to the development of anemia. If gastritis is not treated, its atrophic form may develop, which is considered a precancerous condition.

Chronic duodenitis and chronic colitis are inflammations of the mucous membranes, respectively. duodenum and large intestine.

These are not all diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. There are many more of them, some of them are very dangerous, such as peptic ulcer disease or pancreatitis. Certainly, perfect option- This is a prevention that will help prevent gastrointestinal diseases. But what to do if the diseases have already been diagnosed?

Treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and transfer factor

As we have already said, the vast majority of diseases, including gastrointestinal diseases, cause disturbances in the functioning of the immune system. Enemy single-celled organisms, autoimmune processes, infections - all this occurs if immune cells stop working as prescribed. Today, doctors and patients have a unique drug at their disposal that effectively treats gastrointestinal diseases and many other ailments. The immunomodulator Transfer factor is a concentrate of compounds - long chains of amino acids, which in the body of all mammals perform one function - the accumulation and transmission of information from the mother to her children. Receiving this information, immune cells train, learn and begin to clearly understand how they must act to keep the body healthy and protected. If you are concerned about any gastrointestinal diseases, take Transfer Factor as an independent remedy or as part of complex therapy to achieve best results treatment.

IN last years The number of people suffering from various problems in the digestive tract is increasing almost exponentially. Such pathological conditions are diagnosed in children and adults, men and women. Their appearance can be provoked by a variety of factors, but they all require adequate diagnosis and proper timely treatment. Let's talk about what diseases of the gastrointestinal tract exist, consider their causes and symptoms, as well as treatment.

Causes of gastrointestinal diseases

Digestive diseases can be caused by a variety of factors. The most common of them is an insufficiently correct eating regimen, for example, overeating or significantly limiting oneself in food, snacking on unhealthy foods and an unbalanced diet.

Gastroenterologists say that in many cases the digestive system malfunctions due to aggressive factors environment– due to insufficient quality drinking water, significant amounts of pesticides in plant foods etc.

Also, gastrointestinal ailments can be caused by bad habits - alcohol consumption or nicotine addiction. Sometimes they are provoked by certain medications and some predisposition to the development of such diseases at the genetic level.

How do diseases of the gastrointestinal tract manifest themselves, what are their symptoms?

The main manifestations of gastrointestinal diseases are probably known to everyone. But their symptoms may differ and have varying degrees of severity.

The most common manifestation of damage to the digestive tract is considered to be pain in the abdomen. This symptom is typical for ulcers, intestinal or hepatic colic. The pain may wear different character and is often capable of giving to the most different areas bodies. Thus, a perforated ulcer is accompanied by constant sharp pain, which is characterized by clear localization. Particularly severe pain is characteristic of appendicitis, strangulated hernia and other pathologies.

A classic symptom of many gastrointestinal ailments is belching. Usually, its repeated appearance indicates problems with the stomach and is most often explained by a decrease in the tone of the cardiac sphincter or the penetration of air into the esophagus. If the patient smells rotten eggs, food masses are retained in his stomach, or it is sour, indicating a violation of the digestive processes.

Heartburn is also a common symptom of such diseases; it may indicate organic damage to the stomach and excessive secretion. With an ulcer, heartburn is usually accompanied by pain, and if this symptom increases when lying down, a diaphragmatic hernia may have formed.

Many chronic gastrointestinal ailments are accompanied by nausea and, in some cases, vomiting. Thus, constant and fairly moderate nausea is a symptom of chronic gastritis with a reduced level of acidity. Bloody vomiting often occurs with ulcers or stomach cancer.

The appearance of flatulence may indicate dietary disturbances, as well as the development of certain pathological conditions: secretory pancreatic insufficiency, dysbiosis and intestinal obstruction.

Also common symptoms of gastrointestinal ailments include a feeling of discomfort, heaviness and distension in the abdomen, a feeling of bitterness in the mouth, loss of appetite, unpleasant odor from the mouth, etc. Many patients complain of a white coating on the tongue, prolonged stool upset, and bloody discharge from the rectum, weight loss, and symptoms of anemia (weakness, pallor and dizziness).

How are diseases of the gastrointestinal tract corrected, what is their treatment?

Treatment of diseases of the digestive tract can only be carried out after a thorough examination. Duration of treatment and its general course depends on the type of disease, its stage, as well as the individual characteristics of the patient.

It is extremely important for all patients with such disorders to adhere to dietary nutrition, maintain healthy image life. Treatment can be exclusively conservative or surgical (including immediate) followed by drug correction.

Some gastrointestinal ailments involve taking antibiotic drugs (for example, to eliminate Helicobacter pylori), enzyme drugs (to optimize digestive processes), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Some diseases require taking drugs to reduce the acidity of digestive juice (anacidic compounds), while others can be stopped by taking drugs that activate its production. The use of recipes gives excellent results traditional medicine, but only after agreement with the attending physician.

If you suspect the development of gastrointestinal diseases, you should quickly seek help from a gastroenterologist.

Flatulence

One of the most common symptoms of various stomach and intestinal disorders is flatulence, or in other words, bloating. This is a condition in which a sick person, due to excessive accumulation of gases, feels distension inside himself. As a rule, flatulence is accompanied by pain in the form of contractions, which subside after they subside. The condition is also characterized by a feeling of unprecedented heaviness and often manifests itself along with hiccups and belching.

Nausea

Vomit

A very unpleasant phenomenon that is an involuntary release through the throat and mouth of everything that was in the stomach. As a rule, it is accompanied by rapid breathing, sharp abdominal pain, and increased salivation. True, after the release of vomit, the patient feels relief. Vomiting is usually a sign of many diseases and poisonings. It happens that it is not possible to stop it without the intervention of medical workers.

Therefore, it is important to understand that prolonged vomiting is a very serious symptom, so self-medication in this case is strictly prohibited. Especially if what comes out has impurities of mucus, blood or bile.

By the way, vomiting can occur even with strong excitement or a surge of emotions. For many women in position early stages This is generally normal.

Heartburn

This irritating symptom appears when the patient experiences an excessive release of gastric juice, that is, increased acidity. Heartburn is a kind of uncomfortable burning sensation in the upper part of the esophagus. Sometimes people suffering from heartburn feel a lump in the throat, which puts a lot of pressure and causes very unpleasant sensations. They especially annoy a patient with gastrointestinal disorders when a person bends down to pick up or do something. In this position of the body it only intensifies and irritates even more.

But keep in mind that something as common as heartburn can cause holes in the stomach, intestines (ulcers) and even cancer of the digestive system.

Bad breath

Every inhabitant of the planet faces this problem. The fact is that bad breath, as a rule, occurs when a person is extremely hungry... we are not talking about non-compliance with hygienic measures now. In another way, this condition is also called halitosis.

The development of this unpleasant symptom is facilitated by various ailments of the gastrointestinal tract. And both in adults and children. Foul-smelling breath usually occurs in patients with gastritis, peptic ulcers, problems with the pancreas, namely in a state of acetone syndrome and other diseases. In general, doctors have calculated that in 50% of cases, bad breath occurs when there are certain disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.

Salivation disorders

Xerostomia or difficulty salivating, as well as vice versa - an increased secretory reflex - is a mandatory accompaniment of many gastrointestinal disorders. Particularly impaired salivary secretion occurs when a person has gastritis, certain types of cholecystitis and other similar pathologies. Also, increased salivation can occur with ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas, etc.

Such an unpleasant symptom most often manifests itself with accompanying symptoms - heartburn or belching, which only indicates that a person is developing a pathology of the digestive system. Usually, problems with salivation go away on their own, as soon as the patient’s period of exacerbation of the disease begins to subside.

Language changes

This sign of gastrointestinal pathologies is the most common and, as a rule, occurs with gastritis, ulcers and other digestive ailments. It is simply impossible not to notice changes in the oral cavity. Indeed, with such disorders, plaque, hyperemia, swelling, or even peculiar wounds appear on the tongue. The color of this organ also changes - in the presence of diseases of the stomach and intestines, it can acquire a grayish tint or very white with a characteristic yellowness. So, in the presence of an ulcer, the patient’s tongue develops a strong coating and swelling, and with gastritis, this is also accompanied by hypertrophy of the fungiform papillae - small dots on its surface.

It is believed that changes on the lingual surface in the mouth are the most early symptom, which indicates the development of bad gastrointestinal pathologies in the body.

Hiccups

Specific contractions of the diaphragm, characterized by the involuntary expulsion of excess air that entered the stomach along with food or resulting from increased gas formation. Therefore, hiccups are one of the main symptoms of many gastrointestinal disorders, for example, the stomach is full of food or severe intoxication. In any case, if the hiccups are not long-lasting, then apart from unpleasant sensations and annoyance, they will not cause much trouble. But when such a physiological reaction is too long and exhausting, it is better to contact a gastroenterologist and undergo an appropriate examination.

Bitterness in the mouth

One of the unpleasant manifestations of digestive pathologies. Its presence, constant or rare, is another reason to apply for medical care. After all, a bitter taste in the mouth is associated with disruption of the gallbladder or liver problems. Most often it occurs with cholecystitis and pancreatitis, indicating that bile is released into the stomach. This symptom is also characteristic of peptic ulcer disease.

Itchy skin

Like the above, this phenomenon is also a symptom of disorders in the digestive system. As a rule, skin itching occurs due to pathologies of the kidneys, liver, pancreas, damage by worms or disturbances in the metabolic processes of the body. An itchy lesion can occur in one place or spread to several points.

Therefore, as soon as you notice such a “need” in yourself, you need to be examined in order to identify the disease at the initial stage. Although, if skin itching continues for a long time, this may indicate chronic ailments of the gastrointestinal tract.

Jaundice

It appears when, as a result of the development of gastrointestinal pathologies, the outflow of bile from the biliary tract into the duodenum is disrupted. At the same time, it simply stagnates and bilirubin (bile pigment) enters the blood, turning the skin and sclera of the eyes a characteristic yellow color.

A common occurrence in disorders of the human digestive system. Characterized by frequent, mostly watery bowel movements. A patient's diarrhea occurs when food, being poorly digested, moves very quickly through the gastrointestinal tract without having time to be absorbed properly. This condition is usually caused by viruses and bacteria present in the inflamed intestine. And a similar manifestation accompanies pancreatitis, intoxication or cholestasis.

By the way, diarrhea is also a symptom of other disorders of the human body, for example, stress, a change in climate or diet, or taking certain medications. In any case, such an important sign cannot be ignored, because it can provoke an even more serious illness.

Rumbling in the stomach

Every person encounters this symptom. We are accustomed to thinking that rumbling indicates that a person is hungry. But sometimes such specific sounds from the abdomen indicate the occurrence of a serious illness.

Usually the cause of annoying rumbling is a disease of the gallbladder (the presence of stones in it), colitis, enteritis, or again pancreatitis.

That is, this phenomenon is a kind of accompaniment of the above-mentioned symptoms of esophageal diseases - flatulence, diarrhea, etc. Depending on which area of ​​the abdomen you feel rumbling sounds, you can pre-diagnose one or another gastrointestinal pathology.

Constipation

Disorders in the digestive tract can sometimes be accompanied by difficult bowel movements - constipation. You should pay attention to this if you have not had a bowel movement for more than 48 hours. Constipation is also considered to be the discharge of very hard stool, which comes out with very severe and unpleasant pain.

There are many reasons for this state of the body, but the most common of them are stomach or duodenal ulcers, dysbacteriosis, gastrointestinal cancer, or irritable bowel syndrome.

Abdominal pain

In general, with characteristic diseases of the entire digestive system, the very first sign indicating digestive disorders is the so-called epigastric pain. As a rule, they appear with serious disorders and pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, and with the slightest disorder or poisoning. Abdominal pain can be either cramping or aching in nature.

Their presence can indicate many things: a peptic ulcer, enlargement or damage to the liver, and the fact that the intestines or bile ducts in the patient’s body are too active.

Itching of the anus

But if you feel pain in the abdomen, and at the same time you are bothered by itching near the anus, look for the cause in the intestines. Most probable cause these can be diseases of the rectum and the anus itself. If your anus itself and the area around it are constantly irritated, then these may well be warts or condylomas, which, during bowel movements, get touched by feces and begin to itch. The most common cause of this depressing phenomenon is, of course, worms.

Pathological impurities in feces

But the appearance of this symptom already indicates more serious ailments. In modern medicine, these include pieces of undigested food, mucus, blood, and pus. The last two “contents” in the stool of a sick person indicate a violation of the integrity of the mucous membrane of the esophagus. Also, blood and pus may be present in the stool when a person has dysentery, has an ulcer, hemorrhoids, or a fissure in the rectum.

This is a fairly serious symptom that requires immediate medical attention.

Tenesmus or false urges

This is also a characteristic sign of gastrointestinal dysfunction. It occurs as a result of disturbances in muscle contractions and contributes to the formation of the urge to defecate. As a rule, apart from pain, they do not bring anything good to the patient and are accompanied by a complete absence of feces.

Belching

A common and characteristic phenomenon for every person. This is a kind of release of excess gases from the stomach through the mouth when it is full of food. Accompanied by characteristic unpleasant sound, which speaks not only about the patient’s bad manners, but also about the presence of gastrointestinal diseases.

Although it is also present in pathologies of the cardiovascular, liver and gall bladder.

Dysphagia

This is also an important symptom of digestive pathologies. It causes difficulty swallowing. The causes may be various lesions of the esophagus: foreign bodies, cicatricial narrowings or tumors. But the most common cause of this phenomenon is gastroesophageal reflux disease, which also requires medical intervention.