Articles

Quick answer: A nervous stomach and stress-related abdominal pain are caused by the close link between the nervous system and the digestive system. During stressful periods, the body responds with increased acid production and muscle spasms

Quick answer: Abdominal cramps after eating most often point to a functional digestive disorder, a food intolerance or a gallbladder problem, but inflammatory bowel disease or peptic ulcer disease may also be behind them. Mild, occasional

Quick answer: Milder cases of stomach upset and food poisoning can be treated at home: plenty of fluids, a light diet and rest are the most important steps. High fever, bloody stools,

Quick answer: Leaky gut syndrome is a condition in which the protective layer of the bowel wall is damaged, and substances that are normally filtered out (bacteria, undigested proteins) pass into the

Quick answer: Barrett's oesophagus is an acquired, precancerous condition in which, as a result of long-term acid reflux, the squamous lining of the lower oesophagus is replaced by the columnar lining typical of the intestine. On its own it rarely

Short answer: Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite are often caused by a digestive disease: malabsorption, inflammatory bowel disease, bile and pancreatic problems or tumours. The exact cause

Short answer: The most common complaints in paediatric gastroenterology — infant reflux, tummy aches in children and food allergies — can be treated well in most cases. The reassuring

Summary: Abdominal ultrasound is a painless, radiation-free imaging examination that shows the digestive organs – the liver, the gallbladder, the pancreas and the bowel

Quick answer: Bowel obstruction (ileus) is when the contents of the bowel cannot move forward. Its two main forms are mechanical bowel obstruction (a physical blockage, such as a tumour or gallstone) and paralytic

Short answer: The most common causes of drug-induced damage to the digestive tract are painkillers (especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, i.e. NSAIDs) and antibiotics. These can cause inflammation of the stomach lining, ulcers, oesophageal injury,

Short summary: The gut–brain axis is the two-way communication pathway between the gut and the brain. Under chronic stress this connection can be disrupted, leading to abdominal pain, bloating,

Quick answer: Functional dyspepsia is a recurring set of upper abdominal symptoms (fullness, early satiety, pain or burning in the upper abdomen) for which examinations find no organic

Short answer: Malabsorption develops when the body cannot properly absorb nutrients from the gut. Its digestive causes include

Quick answer: Capsule endoscopy is a painless examination of the small intestine in which the patient swallows a camera capsule the size of a large vitamin tablet. As it travels through, every second the capsule

Quick answer: Bile duct diseases and jaundice are most often caused by a blockage of the bile ducts due to gallstones, inflammation or a tumour. Jaundice is a yellowish

Quick answer: Autoimmune liver diseases are chronic conditions in which the body's own immune system attacks the liver cells or the bile ducts. The three main types are autoimmune hepatitis,

Quick answer: Liver cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) is the end stage of chronic liver disease, in which healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue. Its main causes are alcohol consumption, fatty liver and

Quick answer: Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining and can be acute (sudden) or chronic (long-lasting). The acute form comes on suddenly, often due to a dietary mistake, medication or

Quick answer: Delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis) is a disorder of the stomach's motor function that slows the onward passage of food without any mechanical blockage. Its most common cause is long-standing diabetes.

Quick answer: A diaphragmatic hernia (hiatus hernia) is a condition in which part of the stomach pushes through the opening in the diaphragm into the chest cavity. It often causes no symptoms, but heartburn,

Quick answer: Diverticulosis is the presence of pouch-like bulges (diverticula) in the wall of the large intestine, and it usually causes no symptoms. If these become inflamed, it is called diverticulitis, which comes with pain in the lower left abdomen, fever

Quick answer: Digestive rehabilitation after surgery can be divided into three phases: the acute phase (the first month), the adaptation phase (1–2 years) and the maintenance phase.

Quick answer: Haemorrhoids are swollen venous cushions in the rectum that can cause itching, bleeding and pain. Similar complaints can be caused by an anal fissure, a fistula or an abscess

Quick answer: Gastroenterology diets are targeted dietary methods that relieve certain digestive complaints. The FODMAP diet reduces the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, the reflux diet the acid

Quick answer: Restoring the gut flora aims to rebalance the healthy bacteria living in the bowel. This can be achieved with a fibre-rich diet, pro- and prebiotics, and by treating the underlying cause.

Oesophageal diseases and swallowing disorders are conditions that make it harder for food to pass from the mouth to the stomach. The most common cause is reflux disease, but motility disorders, inflammation and

Short answer: Common digestive symptoms – bloating, chronic diarrhoea and constipation – can usually be traced back to harmless causes, such as dietary factors or

Quick summary: Gastrointestinal cancer screening aims to detect malignant changes and bowel polyps early, before any symptoms appear. Most bowel cancers develop over years from benign

Quick answer: Pancreatitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the pancreas, causing abdominal pain that radiates to the back like a belt. The chronic form can lead to a lack of digestive enzymes, which

Short summary: Gallstones (cholelithiasis) are solid deposits that form in the gallbladder or the bile ducts. In Western societies they affect about 10% of adults, and are twice as common in women.

Quick summary: Fatty liver (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD) develops when more than 50% of liver cells become fatty. The most common underlying causes are obesity, diabetes

Quick answer: Helicobacter pylori infection is caused by a common stomach bacterium and affects about half of the world's population. Many people have no symptoms, but it can cause inflammation, ulcers and, rarely,