What is a bloated belly? A bloated belly is a visible enlargement of the abdomen and usually associated with gas or fluid. However, any mass in the abdomen may also result in a visible and palpable swelling which may feel soft, spongy, firm or hard and could be mistaken for fluid or gas. Sometimes the term bloating is also >> Read More ...
The nerve supply (innervation) of the stomach plays important roles in : holding food in the stomach until it can be processed by the rest of the gastrointestinal tract secreting certain digestive enzymes for chemical digestion of food mixing the food with the gastric secretions by churning caused by muscle contractions in >> Read More ...
The stomach is a hollow organ that lies between the esophagus (food pipe) and duodenum (small intestine). It is an expanded part of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) that plays an important role in the digestion of food. The churning of food and gastric acid secretion breaks down food into smaller particles and simpler >> Read More ...
Identifying abdominal pain as being isolated to the stomach is often difficult. The stomach is surrounded by many organs and structures that may be the cause of the pain. However, the following features may be an indication of stomach related condition resulting in pain : Pain that worsens or improves after eating or >> Read More ...
What is achlorhydria? Achlorhydria is the medical term for a lack of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) due to the failure of the parietal cells to produce gastric acid. Hypochlorhydria is the term for diminished secretion of stomach acid. Achlorhydria may also be referred to as gastric anacidity. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is >> Read More ...
The gastric glands, also known as the oxyntic glands, secrete hydrochloric acid (HCl), pepsinogen and intrinsic factor. These glands are made up of 3 types of cells : mucus neck cells which secretes mucus peptic/chief cells which secretes pepsinogen parietal/oxyntic cells which secretes HCl and intrinsic factor All these >> Read More ...
What is a continuous fever? A continuous fever is a body temperature greater than 37.7C (100F) that continues to persist for 24 hours or more. While there may be fluctuations in the body temperature during this time, the readings do not return to a normal range. An acute fever lasts 4 days or less but may continue for up >> Read More ...
Guide to Urinary Pain The medical term for pain experienced when urinating is known as dysuria. It is a broad term to describe discomfort when urinating including burning during urination. At other times urinary pain may be unrelated to the process of urination. Kidney pain (flank pain), ureteral pain (loin pain), bladder >> Read More ...
The presence of a fever after having traveled abroad or to remote areas should always be investigated for possible infections which may have been contracted during the trip. Some of these infections may be rare within a person’s town/city of residence and can often be missed by a doctor if a patient does not divulge >> Read More ...
Certain drugs are more likely to be misused or abused due to a tendency to be addictive. This addiction may either be psychological or physiological. In the former, a person may display behavior that is characteristic of addiction and feel that they need the drug on a regular basis but do not usually show withdrawal >> Read More ...
