HEALTH & NUTRITION SERVICES

  13- Irritable Bowel Syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that affects the normal functions of the intestines, causing recurrent abdominal pain and discomfort, changes in bowel function, diarrhea and constipation. People with IBS have colons that are more sensitive and react to things that might not bother other people, such as stress, large meals, gas, medicines, certain foods, caffeine and alcohol. IBS occurs in an estimated one in five Americans, and is more prevalent among women. It usually develops in late adolescence or early adulthood around age 20 and rarely appears for the first time after the age of 50. Signs & Symptoms: Common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) include: - Abdominal pain - Bloating - Constipation - Diarrhea - Abnormal stool frequency, form and passage - Some patients with IBS experience alternating diarrhea and constipation. Mucus also may be present around or within the stool. Di...

  12- Intestinal Failure Intestinal failure occurs when your intestines can't digest food and absorb the fluids, electrolytes and nutrients essential to live. Intestinal failure is most often caused by short bowel syndrome, a problem that affects people who have had half or more of their small intestine removed due to injury or surgery to treat conditions such as trauma or mesenteric artery thrombosis. Intestinal failure also may be caused by digestive disorders, such as Crohn's disease or chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudoobstruction syndrome, which causes the bowel to malfunction. Signs & Symptoms: If you have intestinal failure, you may receive all or most of your nutrients and calories intravenously through total parenteral nutrition (TPN). TPN is given through a catheter placed in the arm, groin, neck or chest. Patients on TPN may live for many years, but long-term use of TPN can result in serious complications, such as bone disorders, central venous catheter i...

  11- Hartburn Heartburn, also known as acid indigestion, is a common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) or acid reflux. You may experience GERD when acid contents in your stomach back up into your esophagus. This occurs when a muscle at the end of the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), fails to operate properly. The LES opens when swallowing to allow the passage of food to the stomach and then closes to prevent food juices from returning, or refluxing, back into the esophagus. The cause of heartburn is unknown, but certain factors may contribute to the condition. They include: - Specific foods such as garlic, spicy foods and fried foods - Smoking - Caffeine - Pregnancy - Being overweight - Alcohol - Certain medications, such as nitrates and some muscle relaxants A condition known as hiatal hernia also may contribute to heartburn. A hiatal hernia occurs when the upper part of the stomach is above the diaphragm, the muscle wall that se...

  10- Gastroparesis Gastroparesis is a disorder affecting the nerves and muscles of the stomach, resulting in a paralyzed stomach that cannot perform its normal function. Normally, your stomach contracts slowly to squeeze solid food into small particles, which are then pushed into the small bowel. With gastroparesis, food is not moved into the small bowel and remains in the stomach for much longer than usual. When food lingers too long in the stomach, problems such as bacterial overgrowth can develop in the small bowel. Also, the food can harden into solid masses called bezoars that may cause nausea, vomiting and an obstruction in the stomach. Although the cause of gastroparesis is unknown in more than half of patients, type 1 diabetes is the most common cause. It also can develop in people with type 2 diabetes, although this is less common. Other causes of gastroparesis include: - Postviral syndromes - Anorexia nervosa - Surgery on the stomach or vagus nerve, a nerve th...

  9- Gallstones Gallstones are solid pieces of material that form in the gallbladder, which is the sac located on the undersurface of the liver in the upper right-hand portion of the stomach cavity. The gallbladder aids in digestion by storing bile, which is produced and secreted continuously by the liver. After a meal, the gallbladder contracts and sends the stored bile into the intestine. When digestion of the meal is over, the gallbladder relaxes and continues to store bile. About one million new cases of gallstones are diagnosed every year in the United States, and an estimated one in 10 people suffer from the condition, which is particularly common during the mid-life years. Women tend to develop gallstones more commonly than men and at a younger age. Gallstones vary in size and volume, ranging from the size of a grain of sand to the size of a plum. The gallbladder may develop a single, often large stone or many smaller ones, even several thousand. Gallstones occur when th...