Facts About the 2 Most Common Digestive Diseases

Gastrointestinal diseases are common among people but less in talk. Everyone has faced some kind of issues with their digestive system, either due to an unsuitable meal or a disbalance in the system. Though, there is no need to suffer alone in silence. These are the diseases of our stomach and intestine called gastrointestinal. The majority of the people are unaware of these diseases. We are aware of constipation and diarrhea, but they are only the symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases. Now, our surroundings are kind of evolving and people are curious to know about such disorders. I came to know much about our intestines, our digestive system, and our gut diseases while practicing house-job at National Medical Center, Karachi. A countable number of patients came to the hospital, naming every pain in their intestine region as the 'Stomach pain'. People aren't aware of many parts and their functions starting from the gallbladder, pancreas, small and large intestine. Well, the functioning of all of the parts portrays a healthy picture of our body.

Main parts of our Digestive System:

Our gut starts from mouth, teeth, moving all the way through the esophagusto the small intestine, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, stomach and large intestine.

• The food first gets grinded by our teeth and forms a bolus. Fats start digesting here.
• The bolus is a semi solid soft mass of food that easily passes through the oesophagus.
• The formed bolus passes through the J-shaped stomach and proteins get digested.
• In the stomach, the bolus is converted into acidic chyme.
• The chyme then passes through a sphincter to the large intestine.
• In the large intestine, the important components of chyme get absorbed and rest removed from our body as feces.

Common diseases of Digestive System

I came across many diseases related to our digestion while practicing under the best Gastroenterologist in Karachi. But, we'll discuss gallstones and ulcers because they are the most common ones found in our people. The facts will let us deal with such diseases in a more effective way.

The accumulated Cholesterol or bile in the gallbladder forms small hard deposits called gallstones.

• They are named as gallstones due to their formation in gallbladder.
• These gallstones are formed when probably the gallbladder couldn't empty itself fully.
• Bile is the pigment formed by the catabolism of hemoglobin.
• Gallbladder secretes bile pigment for the digestion of food in the intestine.
• Gallbladder itself is a small sac, having the shape of a pear and present on the side of the liver.

Effects of gallstones:

The blockage of ducts coming from the gallbladder due to these stones cause stabbing pain in the upper-right abdomen.

Treatment:

Sometimes, the stones get dissolved by medicare and get out of the body through anus. But, most of the time, doctors do a surgery to remove the gallbladder.

Ulcer known as ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease in which a part of the large intestine, colon, is affected. It is a bowel disease occurring maybe due to bacterial infection or due to intake of the anti-inflammatory drugs which are non-steroidal.

Effects of Ulcer:

• Sores or ulcers form in the lining of the colon if our immune system reacts to an unsuitable food.
• These sores are formed when in reaction to bacterial attach, the interior stomach wall gets exposed to the acid secreted by the stomach itself.
• In case of pain in stomach, diarrhea feeling, and sudden bowel movement, a doctor should be visited asap.
• Due to continuous exposure of the wall to the stomach acid, healing of the sores becomes difficult.

Treatment:

In the treatment of ulcer, some medicine to remove the food that causes distress is used. Furthermore, some anti-inflammatory pills are also used. Some of the doctors recommend the removal of colon through surgery.

If the ulcer is left untreated, it causes stabbing pain and continuous bleeding that can lead to anemia.

Conclusion:

Our physical health depends a lot on our digestive system. It depends on our diet whether it's healthy for us or not. A fiber-rich diet aids us in maintaining healthy digestion. Furthermore, exercising regularly and eating in portions helps a lot. Just stick to the regular visit to your doctor and keep a check on your health because prevention is always better than Cure.