Digestive disorders are a common problem that can affect anyone. They can range from mild to severe and can cause a variety of symptoms, including abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. Common digestive disorders include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), cancer, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), lactose intolerance, hiatal hernia, gallstones, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulosis and diverticulitis, and stomach flu. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disorder that affects 20 percent of Americans.
Symptoms include persistent heartburn, bad breath, dental erosion, nausea, chest or upper abdominal pain, and difficulty swallowing or breathing. Treatment may involve medications to suppress inflammation or surgery to remove the gallbladder. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects 1 in 133 Americans. Symptoms may include diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal pain.
The only treatment is to completely avoid eating gluten. Common alternatives to gluten include brown rice, quinoa, lentils, soy flour, cornmeal, and amaranth. Ulcerative colitis is another inflammatory bowel disease that can affect up to 907,000 Americans. Symptoms include fever, chills, nausea, and abdominal pain.
Treatment may involve medications to suppress inflammation or surgery to remove the colon. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects 10 to 15 percent of people around the world and up to 45 million people in the United States. Symptoms may include hard or dry stools one day and loose or watery stools the next day. Swelling is also a symptom of IBS.
Treatment may involve medications to suppress inflammation or dietary changes. Hemorrhoids are very common and affect 75 percent of Americans over 45 years old. Symptoms include bright red blood in the toilet bowl when you defecate. Treatment may involve medications or surgery to remove the hemorrhoids.
Diverticulosis is quite common among older adults and rarely causes problems. However, in about 5 percent of people the bags become inflamed or infected (diverticulitis). Treatment may involve medications or dietary changes. Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) affects nearly 15 million adults in the United States (approximately 6 percent of the adult population).
Symptoms include abdominal pain and changes in bowel movements. Treatment may involve medications or dietary changes.Stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis) is an infection of the intestines caused by a virus such as norovirus. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and cramps. Treatment may involve medications or fluids to prevent dehydration.Chronic constipation affects about 63 million people in the United States.
Common causes include dehydration, not getting enough fiber in the diet, and certain medications and health problems that can slow down the digestive system.Gallstones are hard deposits that form in the gallbladder and affect nearly a million Americans every year. Symptoms include sharp pain in the upper right part of the abdomen. Treatment may involve medications to dissolve gallstones or surgery to remove the gallbladder.Obesity is a major risk factor for many digestive disorders including GERD, PUD, IBD (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), IBS, diverticulosis/diverticulitis, gallstones, celiac disease, and stomach flu.
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