Stomach and intestines: functions and symptoms
The stomach and intestines are essential parts of the alimentary canal that we only pay attention to when they aren’t working, and something upsets our stomachs. Unfortunately, our civilized way of life does not help us to make work easier for the stomach and intestines – office work, fast food and little exercise lead to typical complaints such as constipation. In addition, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Germany after breast cancer and lung cancer.
The digestive tract
The human digestive tract includes all the organs that take in food, break it up, transport it, break it down into its components and absorb it. After the mouth, pharynx and oesophagus, the stomach is the next organ with a wide range of tasks. Stomach acid and protein-breaking enzymes start digesting proteins, the acidic gastric juice kills almost all bacteria, and all solid food is retained in the stomach until mixed with juice and liquefied. Then, the pulp enters the intestines.
Bile and pancreatic fluid are added in the first part of the intestine (duodenum) – fat digestion can now begin. The nutrients are absorbed in the next section of the small intestine, because later in the large intestine, only liquid and the electrolytes dissolved in it are absorbed. During the daily digestive process, around ten litres of liquid enter the intestine (through drinking, saliva, gastric juice, bile, pancreatic secretion, and intestinal juices), which must be absorbed again in the intestine – if this system is disturbed, there is a risk of diarrhoea and dehydration.
Gastrointestinal complaints
From personal experience, we all know some prevalent digestive system diseases. They cause discomfort for a few days but can be controlled with home remedies, bed rest, and drinking plenty of fluids. Gastrointestinal complaints are incredibly diverse, have different symptoms and often occur in combination. Very rarely does someone have only pain or diarrhoea as the sole symptom.
Common complaints and symptoms include pain, pressure or fullness, heartburn, nausea, vomiting of stomach contents or blood, gas, diarrhoea, and constipation. Symptoms can also include hiccups, a burning sensation, blood or mucus in the stool, and other stool changes. The situation is different if there is no improvement – in the case of stubborn gastrointestinal infections with fever (indication of intestinal infection), inflammation of the gastric mucosa (gastritis) or a stomach or duodenal ulcer, professional support should be used.
chronic diseases
Chronic symptoms make you think of irritable bowel syndrome or an irritable stomach, and lactose intolerance (milk sugar intolerance) and food allergies are common diseases that become noticeable with recurring diarrhoea after eating certain foods. Less common are Crohn’s disease, celiac disease (native sprue) or a systemic disease such as porphyria. Eating disorders also lead to persistent gastrointestinal problems due to unnatural eating habits.
Acute illnesses
With some illnesses, it is not advisable to wait a few days to see whether things will not improve. However, the symptoms of these clinical pictures are often so dramatic that nobody would think of simply waiting. The specialist speaks of the acute abdomen, which means diseases that occur suddenly and can be life-threatening without treatment: Stomach bleeding, appendicitis, an intestinal blockage (ileus), or an inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) must be mentioned here – the latter is only in close to the stomach and intestines but severely affects them when inflamed.
Diverticula, haemorrhoids or colon cancer become noticeable with blood or mucus in the stool. Still, the latter can also grow for a long time without any visible signs – that is why annual colon cancer screening is so important.
