Gastrointestinal disorder is a very common problem but mostly people avoid talking about it. There’s is no requirement to suffer in silence because today we will talk about most common digestive disorder from top to bottom with their Symptoms as all the digestive disease has same symptoms and the most effective treatment available for them.

So let’s start with:

Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD):

A heart burn once in a while is nothing to worry about, an antacid can easily solve the problem, but if it continues, then it is the symptom of GRED.

When the acid of the stomach backs up into the esophagus, there develops a condition known as acid reflux. Under this condition a burning pain evolves in the middle of the chest. This situation generally occurs after meals or at night.

GRED is a chronic digestive disorder that nearly affects 10 million people in our country every year. There are various symptoms for this disorder such as regular heartburn, bad breath, tooth erosion, nausea, and pain in the chest or in the upper part of the abdomen or encounter trouble in swallowing or breathing problem, in all these scenarios immediate doctor consultation is required.

Avoiding food and beverages which trigger the symptoms or by taking over the counter antacids to reduce the production of stomach acid and the inflammation of the esophagus. In the most severe condition of GRED surgery is required.

Gallstones:

Gallstones are the hard deposit that develops in the gallbladder. A gallbladder is small; pear shaped sack the stores and secretes the bile juices for the digestion. The main reason for the formation of gallstones is the excessive presence of cholesterol or waste in the bile or when the gallbladder doesn’t get empty properly.

According to one statistics women between the ages 20-60 years are three times at the risk of developing gallstones as compared to those of males belonging to the same age group. The main reason for this difference is estrogen, the primary female sex hormone.

There are times when these gallstones cause sharp pain in the upper-right part of the abdomen. The main cause of the pain is the blockage in the ducts from gallbladder to intestine.

Sometimes medications dissolve gallstones, and if medications fail then the next step is surgery to remove the gallbladder.

Celiac Disease:

Celiac disorder happens due to immune reaction to eating gluten. Gluten is a protein majorly found in wheat, rye and barely. Eating gluten in excess will damage the villi, which helps in absorbing the nutrients from the food that we eat.

The symptoms of celiac disease differ in both adults and children. In children the symptoms are: abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhea, constipation, weight loss and vomiting. Fatigue, bone loss, depression, seizure and anemia are the symptoms in adults.

There is no surgical treatment for celiac; the only treatment available is completely stopped eating of gluten. Instead of consuming gluten there are other alternative for them such as brown rice, quinoa, lentils, soy flour, corn four and amaranth.

Crohn’s Disease:

Crohn digestive disorder is also known as inflammatory Bowel disease (IBD). Crohn disease can affect any part of the digestive tract but the terminal ileum is the part which gets affected mostly. Terminal ileum is a connector which connects the end of the small bowel and the beginning of the bowel.

The exact reason for this disorder is still not known but family history and genetics plays an important role for the disease. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and fever are the most common symptoms for crohn disorder.

The treatment depends on the severity of the disorder which includes topical pain relievers, immunosuppressant and surgery.

Ulcerative Colitis:

Ulcerative colitis is another form of inflammatory bowel disorder. There is no difference in the symptoms of ulcerative colitis and crohn’s disease. In ulcerative colitis large intestine gets affected solely.

The symptoms of ulcerative colitis are frequent and urgent bowel movement, pain with diarrhea, blood in stool and cramps in the abdomen.

To some extent medication helps as they suppress the inflammation. In the severe scenarios surgery is performed to remove the colon.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome:

On an average 10 to 15 percent of people all across the globe are suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is one of the most common digestive disorders.

The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome can vary widely like: constipation or diarrhea, one day dry stool and loose watery on other day, bloating, etc.

The exact cause is still not known but the treatment largely depends on diet, such as high consumption of low-fat and high fiber meals and should avoid dairy products, alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners and foods that produce gas.

Hemorrhoids:

Hemorrhoid is a very common digestive disorder which causes inflammation in blood vessels at the end of the digestive tracts. One of the important sing of hemorrhoids is the presence of bright red blood in the toilet during the movement of the bowel.

Hemorrhoids are painful and itchy at times. They can lead to chronic constipation, diarrhea, straining during bowel movement due to lack of fiber in the diet.

In the most severe conditions hemorrhoidectomy is performed for the removal of hemorrhoids by surgical method. Other treatment methods for hemorrhoids are: eating more of fibrous meal, intake of more water and exercise. Over the counter creams are helpful but only provide temporary relief.

Anal Fissure:

Anal fissure are the oval shaped, tiny tears formed in the lining at the very end of the digestive tract called anus.

The symptoms of anal fissure are same as of hemorrhoids like bleeding and pain after the movement of bowel. Fissures can be caused either by hard bowel movement or at times soft stool and diarrhea can lead to it.

The best treatment for fissure is the intake of diet rich in high fiber. Medications are used to give the relaxation to the anal sphincter muscles. Sitz baths are also helpful relieving the pain. In the chronic fissure cases, surgery is required for the anal sphincter muscle. More Information Consult our expert,Dr. B N Tandon ,Chairman, Metro Centre for liver & Digestive Diseases and Dr. Jitendra Kumar Agrawal ,Senior Consultant – G.I. Surgery  Gastroenterology & Gastro Surgery Department . To know more or book an appointment, e-mail: [email protected] or call: +919910492867