Dysphagia is the condition that results in choking on food and liquid or aspirating these into the lungs, which can be silent and imperceptible. In the most severe cases, patients even choke on their own saliva. Many disorders can cause or lead to...
Hydrochloric acid found in the stomach, sometimes called gastric acid, helps digest food and also destroys many of the bacteria that enter the stomach. When food enters the stomach, acid production normally increases. Gastrin, a hormone produced...
The stomach is very acidic because it produces gastric acid. Although most of the time the contents of the stomach are prevented from escaping into the esophagus by a ring of smooth muscle, sometimes this muscle relaxes, allowing the acidic...
Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when stomach contents, including acid, reflux, or back up, into the esophagus during of after a meal. An infant or newborn who is consistently spitting up or vomiting may have gastroesophageal reflux. Infant...
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive neurological disease caused by damage to neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The damage occurs to the outer layer of the neurons, which is called the myelin sheath. The exact cause is not fully understood, but...
Abdominal fistulas are abnormal openings that allow the contents of the stomach or bowels to leak. Leakage into other organs is called an entero-enteral fistula. If the contents leak through to the skin, it is known as an enterocutaneous...
Reflux, commonly known as gastroesophageal reflux, or GERD, is a weakness of the lower esophagus that allows food and acid to enter from the stomach. If left untreated, reflux can cause considerable damage to an infant's stomach lining and...
The esophagus is a tube starting at the throat and ending at the stomach. Food and liquid that is swallowed travels through this tube to get to the stomach. Cancer that starts in this tube is called esophageal cancer, which was diagnosed in more...
The National Cancer Institute estimates that every year in the United States 21,000 people are diagnosed with stomach cancer and more than 100,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer. Signs and symptoms of colon and stomach cancer are similar...
GERD, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, refers to a medical condition wherein stomach acids move up from your stomach to your mouth. According to the Mayo Clinic, GERD can interfere with your life, especially when you have frequent...
Dietary indiscretions, allergies, chronic intestinal inflammation, food poisoning and viruses can all cause gastrointestinal, or GI, cramps, which are often accompanied by other symptoms of an unhappy intestinal tract such as bloating or diarrhea....
Cancer of the esophagus is a cancer that originates in the lining of the esophagus and spreads from the inside out through the walls of the organ. Once esophageal cancer is diagnosed, staging occurs. Staging is a standardized way of describing the...
Acid reflux, also known as heartburn, is the result of a condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, which occurs when the esophageal muscles become weakened and gastric juices can flow up from the stomach and into the esophagus...
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, results when acid flows back from the stomach into the esophagus. When a person eats, food goes from the mouth to the stomach through the esophagus. At the end of the esophagus there is a muscle, called...
Clay white stools are likely to alarm both parent and child. Healthy stools should be brown or tan in color, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, and they should be yellow if the child is exclusively breastfed. While there are some...
A peptic ulcer is a deep pit that results from damage to the lining of the intestines. Gastric and duodenal ulcers are the two types of peptic ulcers. Peptic ulcers result from excess acid production, infection or destruction of the protected...
Acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is a common condition in which acidic stomach contents flow back into the esophagus, causing symptoms like heartburn and, in children, vomiting. Asthma is a chronic respiratory...
Acid reflux is the result of the acidic contents of the stomach traveling up into the esophagus, where they cause damage to the esophageal lining. In some cases, progressive damage of the esophagus can make swallowing difficult or painful, which...
GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is caused by the regurgitation of food from the stomach into the esophagus, the tube connecting your mouth to your stomach. Where the stomach meets the esophagus, there is a band of muscle called the lower...
"Gastritis" is a generic term used to describe inflammation of your stomach lining. A variety of conditions can cause gastritis, including alcohol, infections, stress, medications and autoimmune diseases, such as sarcoidosis or pernicious anemia....
Lap-band gastric laparoscopic surgery appeals to many bariatric patients because the implanted device can be adjusted to dim the appetite and allow the patient to eat smaller quantities of food and feel satisfied. An important aspect of the...
Acid indigestion or gastroesophageal reflux causes acid from your baby's stomach to move up the esophagus. The condition is common in infants with immature digestive systems. Children's Hospital Boston reports that acid indigestion will usually...
Most people occasionally feel as if they have food stuck in their throats. This can occur when you are eating quickly or not chewing your food well enough. You also may experience occasional feelings of acid reflux or heartburn. If these symptoms...
Digestion is a complex process that begins in your mouth, runs the length of several organs and ends with the excretion of wastes. In some individuals, the emptying of the digestive system can be delayed, a condition known as gastroparesis. This...
Acid reflux is caused by the contents of the stomach traveling up the esophagus. The contents of the stomach are acidified by the production of gastric acid, which helps break down food and activates certain enzymes necessary for digestion....
Stomach cancer, or gastric cancer, is cancer arising from part of the stomach, but mostly the innermost lining, called the mucosa, according to the National Cancer Institute. There were over 20,000 new cases of stomach cancer in 2009 in the United...
While most babies experience acid reflux during their first year -- characterized by spitting up and colicky symptoms -- the vast majority of them outgrow it by the time they're a year old. If your toddler is continuing to experience stomach pain,...
Acid reflux syndrome, better known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD, is a chronic digestive disorder that affects the muscle connecting the esophagus and stomach, known as the lower esophageal sphincter, LES, according to the National...
Dyspepsia, a gnawing or burning pain in the stomach, occurs frequently and for a number of causes. As many as 25 percent of people have a burning feeling in the stomach at some time in their lives, FamilyDoctor.org reports. Medications, chronic...
