Gastrointestinal system
Aida Lai in Essential Concepts in Anatomy and Pathology for Undergraduate Revision, 2018
Dyspepsia Also known as indigestionCauses: – oesophageal motility disorders– acute gastritis– gallstones– peptic ulcer– drugs (NSAIDs)– psychological factorsInvestigations: – ultrasound scan of U. abdomen– endoscopy– test for Helicobacter pylori
Rethinking Illness
Phoebe S. Prosky, David V. Keith in Family Therapy as an Alternative to Medication, 2004
In traditional Chinese medicine, the digestive and reproductive systems are the foundational systems of the human body: people need to live and to continue to reproduce. All the other systems revolve around these two. As we know, a healthy digestive system is essential to maintaining life, for it converts food into materials that build and fuel our body's cells. It is also a complicated organ system which takes food in, digests and breaks it down, absorbs the nutrients into the blood stream, and gets rid of the indigestible portion. Not surprising in a modern society such as ours in which food is abundant, many diseases of the digestive system are primarily related to “indigestion.” Indigestion arises when we eat something that doesn't agree with our stomach, whether it is too cold, too hot, too spicy, too oily, or too salty. Indigestion can also occur if we ingest toxic materials, such as some food additives.
Cancer
Sally Robinson in Priorities for Health Promotion and Public Health, 2021
Common symptoms of stomach cancer include swallowing difficultiesweight losspersistent indigestionfeeling full after eating only a small amountnausea or vomiting
Presence of Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter ureolyticus in the oral cavity of a Northern Thailand population that experiences stomach pain
Published in Journal of Oral Microbiology, 2018
Amina Basic, Hanna Enerbäck, Sara Waldenström, Emma Östgärd, Narong Suksuart, Gunnar Dahlen
Indigestion or dyspepsia is a common condition with persistent pain or discomfort localized to the upper part of the stomach [1]. It implicates several different medical conditions such as gastritis and peptic ulcer. Approximately, half of the world population is colonized with Helicobacter pylori in the stomach [2]. This bacterial species seems to be more prevalent in developing countries where up to 80% of the children harbor the bacterium in the stomach [3,4]. Infection with H. pylori is treated with antibiotics but reinfection after treatment is common. Previous studies have detected H. pylori in the oral cavity [5,6] and examined the presence of H. pylori in saliva or dental biofilm in association with oral hygiene [6]. The presence of H. pylori in saliva and dental biofilm has been reported to be between 0 and100%, depending on the population studied and the method used for detection of the bacteria [6]. It has been suggested that the oral cavity can function as a reservoir for H. pylori and thereby contribute to reinfection of the stomach. Conversely, other reports claim that the oral cavity is a transient passage for the bacterium [6].
Two placebo-controlled crossover studies in healthy subjects to evaluate gastric acid neutralization by an alginate–antacid formulation (Gaviscon Double Action)
Published in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 2019
Joanne Wilkinson, Khalid Abd-Elaziz, Izaak den Daas, Johan Wemer, Michiel van Haastert, Victoria Hodgkinson, Michelle Foster, Cathal Coyle
Symptoms caused by the reflux of stomach contents are experienced by a large proportion of the general population [1,2]. After meals, newly secreted acid in the stomach forms a layer on top of ingested food rather than mixing with it, acting as a source for acidic gastroesophageal reflux [3]. While heartburn and regurgitation are the most common reflux symptoms [4], there is considerable overlap with symptoms of indigestion, such as epigastric pain and burning [5,6]. Despite the overall level of gastric acid secretion in reflux disease being typically similar to that seen in asymptomatic individuals [7], the most widely adopted therapeutic strategy is the reduction of gastric acidity [8]. However, increasing insight into gastroesophageal reflux pathophysiology has revealed that weakly acidic gastric contents may also elicit symptoms in some individuals and different symptoms vary in their response to acid suppression [9–12]. As such, effective relief from multiple, often fluctuating [13], reflux-associated symptoms may require a strategy that targets both acidity and the reflux of gastric contents [10].
Left lower quadrant pain: an unlikely diagnosis in a case of acute abdomen
Published in Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives, 2018
Jennifer Williams, Shumona Ima, Charles Milrod, Mahesh Krishnamurthy
A 77-year-old male with a past medical history significant for hypertension and coronary artery disease status post stent placement 3 years ago presented with acute LLQ pain. His medications included Aspirin, Famotidine, Metoprolol, Niacin and Pravastatin. He presented with a 2–3 month history of progressive abdominal distension, a palpable mass on his mid to lower left abdomen, and a sensation of a pulled abdominal muscle. He described associated indigestion with burping, constipation, nausea, anorexia with an unintentional 16lb weight loss, and night sweats. Two days prior to admission the patient felt a sharp, localized pain in his left lower quadrant that did not radiate and was progressively more painful especially when palpated, which he rated as a 7/10 in severity. He described tea colored urine intermittently over the last few months. He denied any fever, chills, sick contacts, recent travel, vomiting, diarrhea, swollen glands or lumps and had a negative history for atrial fibrillation, clotting incidents, or bleeding.