It is often self-diagnosed but irritable bowel syndrome presents with specific signs and symptoms and has to meet with certain criteria in order to be diagnosed. Most people think it is a condition associated with frequent bowel movements and diarrhea but there are different types of IBS and various other symptoms like >> Read More ...
The term contagious in the medical context refers to a disease that can be transmitted from one person to another, or even from an animal or insect to a human. Infectious diseases may or may not be contagious depending on whether the infectious agent, such as viruses, bacteria or protozoa, can be easily transmitted between >> Read More ...
Up to 4 out of 10 Americans experience acid reflux symptoms at some point making it one of the most common upper gastrointestinal conditions. It tends to become more common in people older than 40 years. However, acid reflux may not always present with the typical symptoms that most of us expect. Heartburn is considered to >> Read More ...
What is a distended stomach? The stomach is a hollow organ that fills with food after eating. Its walls are able to stretch and the entire stomach can distend to several times its size when empty. This distention is usually not visible from the exterior as space within the abdominal cavity allows for the stomach to expand. >> Read More ...
Food that enters the stomach from the esophagus goes through both mechanical and chemical digestion. The strong stomach wall muscles crushes the food while the corrosive gastric acid and digestive enzymes breakdown the food further. Eventually small amounts of gastric chyme (broken down food mixed with gastric juices) >> Read More ...
Normal Stomach Noises Noises within the stomach and bowels are a normal part of gastrointestinal physiology. Most of the time these noises are inaudible to the human ear but when hungry or after eating, bowel sounds may be audible to the person or even others in the near vicinity. This is not abnormal. However loud and >> Read More ...
The bowels (small and large intestines) occupy most of the abdominal cavity. The small intestine is about 20 feet (6 meters) long in adults. It is coiled in the middle of the abdomen. The large intestine is shorter at 5 feet (1.5 meters) and lies along the sides of the abdomen. Pain in the bowels can arise for several >> Read More ...
The colon is the last part of the gut. It is the longest part of the large intestine. Most of us know the colon for being the place where stool is formed and stored. Sometimes this stool can become a hard mass. However, it is not the only type of mass that can occur in the bowels. Some colon masses can serious and >> Read More ...
Some people experience stomach problems every night while being relatively symptom-free during the day. There are several reasons why this occurs. While it can be related to diet and lifestyle in the evening, there are also certain conditions that worsen in relation to the body’s 24 hour cycle. Nighttime stomach >> Read More ...
How to Determine a Cause of Abdominal Pain The cause of abdominal (stomach) pain can be determined from: 1. Pain LOCATION: Right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain may be from gallstones, bile ducts dysfunction, liver diseases, right kidney or ureteral disorders or right adrenal gland Left upper quadrant (LUQ) pain may be >> Read More ...
