According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC), around 7 million Americans were infected with digestive diseases in 1996. In 2002, digestive diseases, including cancer, accounted for 234,000 deaths in the United States. Problems with one part of the digestive system will affect the entire system, and a compromised digestive system will affect your food digesting capabilities. The symptoms vary with the organ affected and the disease.
Abdominal Wall Hernia
In 1996, around 4.5 million people had abdominal wall hernias, the NDDIC states. This occurs when fatty tissues or an abdominal organ protrude from a weak part of the wall of your abdomen. The main symptoms of abdominal hernia are abdominal pain, swelling, vomiting, fever and severe constipation. The wall of your abdomen can weaken for various reasons and the seriousness of the condition will depend on the protruding tissue.
Gallstones
Gallstones are hard deposits which look like stones and pebbles that develop in the gall bladder. These can be either large or small. Symptoms of the gallstones are abdominal pain, loss of appetite, vomiting and nausea. Severity of the problem depends on various factors like size of the stones and their placement in the gall bladder.
Stomach Ulcers
Stomach ulcers are caused by a bacterium called helicobacter pylori. Spicy food and stress aggravates the problem further. Abdominal discomfort, pain in the abdomen after the meal or on an empty stomach, weight loss, bloating and belching are some of the symptoms of stomach ulcers. A serious symptom of stomach ulcers is gastrointestinal bleeding, which results in bloody stool or vomit.
Stomach Cancer
The National Cancer Institute detected 21,130 new cases of stomach cancer in 2009. Gastric or stomach cancer can develop in any part of the stomach and can spread to nearby organs. The early symptoms of the cancer of the stomach are indigestion, heartburn, vague abdominal symptoms, nausea and diarrhea.
Rapid Gastric Emptying
When the lower part of the small intestine gets filled quickly with undigested food from the stomach, it leads to a condition called as rapid gastric emptying. The symptoms in the early stages are nausea, vomiting, bloating and shortness of breath. Weakness, sweating, dizziness may appear at later stages.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
NDDIC states that one in every five American suffers from this gastrointestinal disease. Though bloating, abdominal pain and discomfort are its main symptoms, the symptoms may vary from person to person. Constipation, straining and cramping of bowel, mucus filled stool and diarrhea are some other symptoms that may occur to you.
