Inflammation of Digestive Tract, a Simple Guide to the Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment and Related Conditions

This book describes Inflammation of Digestive Tract, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

"What we eat determines our health"

A Digestive tract inflammation is an infection, inflammation or swelling of the digestive tract, the food-tube that passes from the back of the mouth to the anus, a length of 18 feet (5.5 meters).

There are many causes that produce digestive tract inflammation.

More than 24 organs take part in digestion, which compresses the food, absorbs nutrients and remove residues from the body.

It is a full cycle system from food absorption and processing to removal of undigested remains.

It is essential that every element of it functions properly and does not fail.

The journey of food begins in the mouth and continues in the esophagus, a cylindrical muscular tube 25 cm long.

It delivers the food from the mouth to the stomach by a series of contractions called peristalsis..

The food takes a certain time to be digested and absorbed.

The normal range for transit time is:
1. Gastric emptying (2-5 hours),
2. Small bowel transit (2-6 hours),
3. Colonic transit (10-59 hours) and
Total gut transit (10-73 hours).

Along the total length of the digestive tract, there are specific closing devices capable of “closing” one or another section of the digestive tract.

These devices are sphincters and valves:
1. Esophagal-gastric sphincter,
2. Pyloric sphincter,
3. Ileocecal valve,
4. Colon sphincters,
5. Anal sphincters.

The stomach is a saccular muscular organ that attaches the esophagus to the duodenum.

It is like a sac or bag in which meals is collected, mixed to a paste, and digested by the action of gastric juice.

Stomach juice comprises enzymes and hydrochloric acid, due to which it has a strong acidity (about 1.5–2.0 pH).

Gastric juice metabolizes proteins and other chemical substances, after which they are transported to the small intestine for final digestion and absorption.

Besides, the stomach has a protective function, since gastric juice has a bactericidal effect.

The length of the small intestine, comprising the duodenum, jejunum and ileum and taking up most of the abdominal cavity, is about 2.9 m.

The small intestine has glands that using pancreatic enzymes and bile from the liver for the primary digestion of food (duodenum) and the absorption of nutrients into the blood (jejunum and ileum).

The large intestine is the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract, in which water, electrolytes, fiber are absorbed and incompatible food residues are formed into feces (stools).

The large intestine is 1.9 m long and is subdivided into the cecum, colon, and rectum.

The stools containing mainly bacteria and food debris is stored in the sigmoid (S-shaped) colon until a "mass movement" empties it into the rectum.

The rectum (the end of the digestive tract) ends with an opening (anus) and serves for the accumulation of feces and bowel movements.

When gas or stool enters the rectum, the sensors there will transmit a message to the brain.

The brain then determines if the rectal contents can be released or not.

If they can, the sphincters relax and the rectum squeezes its muscles to expel its contents.

Here the “unprecedented journey” ends and the processed food remains leave the body.

If the contents cannot be expelled, the sphincters tighten and the rectum holds the stools so that the sensation temporarily goes away.

Digestion also requires the use of pancreas, kidneys, adrenal glands, gallbladder, and liver.

Dysfunction of the digestive tract is linked with most long term and degenerative diseases.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Inflammation of Digestive Tract
Chapter 2 Esophagitis
Chapter 3 Gastritis
Chapter 4 Helicobacter Pylori Infection
Chapter 5 Small Intestinal Bacterial Infection
Chapter 6 Crohn’s Disease
Chapter 7 Toxic Megacolon
Chapter 8 Ulcerative Colitis
Epilogue