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What are the Different Types of Intestine Diseases?
Intestine diseases are conditions that affect the small or large intestines in the human body. Both intestines play a major role in the human digestive system. Although the symptoms can vary based on the individual and the type of disease, these diseases often cause a person to lose weight because of a loss of appetite. Different methods of treatment can be used to fight or reduce the symptoms of the disease. Some of the different types of intestine diseases are inflammatory bowel diseases, cancer and gastrointestinal diseases.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of the different types of intestine diseases. This condition causes the intestines to become inflamed, which can lead to high levels of discomfort. One of the common inflammatory bowel diseases is Crohn’s disease. A person with Crohn’s disease might experience stomach pain, cramping, ulcers, weight loss and diarrhea. There are no known cures for Crohn’s disease, but it can be treated with a change of diet and medications in order to reduce the severity of the symptoms. Other inflammatory bowel diseases are ulcerative colitis and collagenous colitis.
Cancer is one of the common types of intestine diseases. When cancer develops in a certain area or areas of the body, it causes the development of abnormal cells to spread throughout the body. One common type of intestine cancers is bowel cancer, which is found in the large intestine area. Some of the symptoms are stomach pain, blood and changes in the stool, fatigue and a decrease in appetite. Surgery and chemotherapy often are used to treat this type of cancer.
Gastrointestinal disease is another of the types of intestine diseases and is known to be contagious. It affects the small and large intestines and often is caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Abdominal pain, weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea are some of the known symptoms of this condition. These symptoms might last as long as 10 days before the infection is gone. A physician might prescribe antibiotics for treatment of a bacterial infection and might recommend plenty of fluids and rest.
Although these diseases can be severe on a person’s health, an individual can live a normal life with the proper treatment. If a person is experiencing any of the symptoms associated with intestine diseases for an extended period of time, he or she should contact a physician for medical testing and screening. The testing and screening might require a blood test and a biopsy of the intestine tissues.
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![Cancer and inflammatory diseases often affect the intestines.]()
By: ciawitalyCancer and inflammatory diseases often affect the intestines. -
![Gastrointestinal disease is known to be contagious.]()
By: nerthuzGastrointestinal disease is known to be contagious. -
![Some intestine diseases affect the functioning of the villi.]()
By: designuaSome intestine diseases affect the functioning of the villi.
Discussion Comments
Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers in this country. It's actually pretty treatable, if you catch it in time. However, a lot of people don't go to the doctor when they start experiencing symptoms. Maybe it's because of embarrassment, or they don't want to deal with any of the tests, I don't know.
However, I find it sad that so many people die every year from a type of cancer that has such a good survival rate when treated.
@Azuza - That's interesting that quitting smoking can help with Crohn's disease. How unexpected!
From what I gather, sometimes intestinal diseases like Crohn's and irritable bowel syndrome are kind of hard to diagnose. A lot of them share the same symptoms.
In fact, I have a friend with irritable bowel syndrome that suffered for kind of awhile before her doctor figured out what was wrong with her.
Apparently irritable bowel syndrome is diagnosed by ruling out other stuff. As I said, in my friends case it was a lengthy process!
One of my friends has Crohn's disease. The diseases symptoms are very unpleasant, like the article said. In addition to the intestinal symptoms, Crohn's disease can also cause skin rashes and arthritis.
My friend had to make a lot of dietary and lifestyle changes when she was diagnosed. For one thing, she had to quit smoking! Apparently smoking can really aggravate the symptoms of Crohn's disease. It was hard for her, but she said she felt a lot better after she quit.
She also changed her diet and now eats a lot of small meals instead of a few big ones. One thing that really helped her do this was keeping a food diary. That way she could tell for sure what food aggravated the disease.
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