People with Hirschsprung's disease have a lack of nerve cells in a part of the large intestine. These nerve cells are responsible for relaying a message from the brain to the muscles in the large intestine, signaling the colon to move food through...
When many people hear the term "colon disease," they tend to think about colon cancer and the preventive measures older adults may take to screen for the disease. Colon disease is not restricted to adults and is not always cancerous. Hirschprung's...
There are numerous rare colon diseases. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, the colon, also known as the large intestine, is a long, hollow tube at the terminal end of a person's digestive...
The digestive tract allows for the body to absorb the nutrients it needs to sustain itself. Sometimes, abnormal tissues can form between the digestive tract and certain organs. In some instances, growths can develop in the intestine, or the...
Blood in a 2-week-old baby's stool upsets parents, usually more than it upsets the baby. Virtually every baby passes blood in the stool at least once during their infancy, pediatrician and author William Sears, M.D. explains. While some causes of...
The colon, or large intestine, absorbs water and salts while moving fecal material toward the rectum. Disruption of normal colon structure and function can occur with a variety of medical conditions. Congenital defects, interruption of colonic...
Infants can develop constipation, a condition that is characterized by painful bowel movements. If this happens on an occasional basis, it's usually not cause for concern. However, if your infant seems to regularly suffer from hard, dry bowel...
Newborn's bowel habits vary from baby to baby. However, painful bowel movements can affect any baby, disrupting her daily schedule and making feedings and diaper changes difficult. Because painful bowel movements can sometimes be the sign of a...
When a baby has severe constipation and gas, she might cry for hours at a time. As a parent, that can make you feel frustrated, helpless and very worried. But gas and constipation are normal problems in a baby. When these conditions make your baby...
Preemie babies have more trouble with constipation than full-term babies for several reasons. Decreased muscle tone, preemie formulas and a history of bowel infections can all contribute to problems with stools in premature babies, even after they...
An intestinal blockage is a partial or complete obstruction of the small or large intestine. In adults, intestinal blockages usually occur as a result of a mechanical issue, such as the formation of a hernia or tumor. In children, however, the...
Infrequent stools and bloating are classic symptoms of constipation. Although dietary factors often lead to constipation in older babies and adults, this condition in newborn babies can signal the presence of an underlying health condition. Even...
In the book "The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Your Baby's First Year," Linda Murray and her collaborators note that 30 percent of babies are afflicted with constipation during some point of their infancy. Constipation is typically easy...
A decrease in bowel movements does not necessarily mean your infant is suffering from constipation. The infant should also display signs that she is uncomfortable when having a bowel movement. If stools are hard and dry when passed, this is...
A healthy body needs all types of vitamins, and certain vitamins have more health effects for the intestines. B vitamins and all vitamins with antioxidant properties can help improve the functions of your intestines. To understand antioxidants,...
Some diseases are found more often in men than in women, while others seem to attack women in higher numbers than men. Some diseases may mainly affect a specific race or ethnic group. There are also diseases primarily seen in specific age groups,...
Infant bowel movements vary in color, texture and frequency, causing confusion on what is normal. True constipation is hard in texture and often small in size. A constipated baby strains to pass the stools and may have small amounts of blood along...
Constipation is a condition characterized by infrequent or less frequent than normal bowel movements, or stools that are difficult to pass because they are very dry or hard, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Many...
It is not uncommon to feel your intestines shift when you are doing situps. One of the roles your abdominal muscles play is keeping your internal organs in place. The stronger your abdominal muscles become due to situps, the less organ-shifting...
The most common single cause of birth defects, Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that occurs as a result of chromosome abnormalities. Most people are born with 46 chromosomes, receiving 23 from each parent. Babies with Down syndrome are born...
Bladder infections cause a painful burning sensation during urination, a frequent urge to urinate, cloudy or strong-smelling urine, a feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen and low fever. Bladder infections frequently cause potty-trained...
Having a newborn at home is a joyous and exhilarating time, but also can cause a lot of stress and anxiety, especially when dealing with possible medical issues. If your newborn has not passed a stool in several days or stools are hard and...
Nearly every parent frets about their baby's bowel movements, or lack thereof. A decrease in the number of bowel movements often indicates constipation in children and adults, so parents naturally despair if their baby does not have a dirty diaper...
The gastrointestinal tract is responsible for the intake, digestion and absorption of food. Children under the age of two are prone to a wide variety of gastrointestinal diseases. The most common of these are diarrhea conditions which are usually...
A newborn baby makes his entrance into the world with immature bodily systems. As your child begins his outside life, he'll eat, cry and need diaper changes as you would expect. New parents are not always prepared for the bumps in the road that...
Your baby may be constipated if his stools are hard and pebble-like and if he strains and turns red-faced during bowel movements, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. He may also draw his legs to his abdomen and pass some stools that...
Breast-fed infants defecate frequently, but formula-fed babies might go three or four days between bowel movements. Also, most babies strain when they go, because they are lying down and cannot use gravity to ease the process. More reliable signs...
Colon blockage in children under 2 years old is usually a mechanical blockage or a pseudo-obstruction. In neonates, colon blockage symptoms appear one or two days after birth, while other blockages appear after ingesting inappropriate items or in...
