Bowel obstruction is the cessation of movement of food through a person's small or large bowel. It is an absolute medical emergency that sometimes requires surgery. Because it can occur in both large and small bowel, it is divided into the two...
Abdominal hernias usually occur when there is a weakening or defect in the muscles and tissues of the abdominal wall. When strain is placed on the abdominal wall, part of the intestines can break through the weakening wall, causing a mass to...
Of all hospital admissions in the U.S. every year for abdominal pain, a full 15 percent result from bowel obstructions. That amounts to about 300,000 emergency admissions, and of these, 30,000 patients will die. These alarming statistics from the...
The colon, also called the large intestine, removes fluid from food as it passes through the final portion of the digestive tract. At times, a blockage occurs in the colon. Common causes of bowel obstruction in the colon include cancer, scar...
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the intestinal tract. Common symptoms, such as abdominal pain and diarrhea, may be managed or prevented through dietary lifestyle changes, medications, stress relief and/or surgery. If...
Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment in which cancer fighting drugs are administered to cancer patients orally, topically or by IV or injection. Treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs can cause bowel or intestinal complications in certain...
Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial tissue, tissue that lines the inside of the uterus, in areas other than the uterus. Endometriosis is most often found in the pelvis near the uterus, but the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the most...
The abdomen houses the digestive tract, liver, kidneys and several other vital organs. Abdominal pain can stem from a range of causes, most of which are transient and relatively mild. On the other hand, persistent or very severe abdominal pain can...
Intussusception is a common cause of intestinal obstruction in children. When a child has an intussusception, a segment of small intestine intermittently telescopes into the next segment of bowel. The movement of the bowel facilitates this in and...
Small bowel obstruction occurs in the small intestine and prevents food or fluid from passing though. Pre-existing medical conditions including inflammatory bowel disease or kidney disease may increase your risk of intestinal obstruction. However,...
Colon cancer is a potentially curable disease if it is caught in early stages. This is the reason the American Cancer Society has recommended screening people starting at age 50. The symptoms of colon cancer vary according to location of the...
Diverticulosis is a condition characterized by small, saclike out-pouchings, or diverticula, that protrude from your colon. Diverticula are presumed to result from eating a low-fiber diet over long periods of time, which increases the pressure...
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers, according to the American Cancer Society, and the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths in women. With fewer than 20 percent of ovarian cancer cases caught before they spread past the...
Anaphylactoid purpura also called henoch-schoenlein purpura is a condition that mainly affects children, and occurs when inflamed blood vessels leak causing blood to accumulate under the skin and creating a purple rash that resembles a bruise,...
Omphalocele, a genetic abdominal wall defect, often causes great consternation in parents. Babies with omphalocele have intestines that protrude through an opening in the abdomen. Small omphalocele defects occur in one in 5,000 births, while giant...
Miralax is a laxative, a drug used to treat constipation or bowel movements that are infrequent and hard to pass. It is manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough and is known by the generic name of polyethylene glycol 3350....
The abdomen is located between your pelvis bone and your chest bone, and within this area of the body vital organs such as the stomach, liver, kidneys and intestines are housed. While occasional abdominal pain is commonplace among most healthy...
People who undergo abdominal surgery or experience chronic abdominal inflammation due to pelvic or abdominal infections or radiation therapy are at an increased risk of developing abdominal adhesions, according to the National Digestive Diseases...
Nearly half of all cancer patients will receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment, according to the National Cancer Institute. High-energy radiation can kill or help control many kinds of cancer and is a mainstay of modern cancer...
The Roux-En-Y gastric bypass is a surgical procedure to help you lose weight if you are obese. According to Aurora Health Care, the surgeon can use a laparoscopic (involving small incisions and special instruments) or an open (involving a large...
A colon obstruction occurs when intestinal adhesions, hernias, tumors, inflammation or other structural problems in the intestines block the passage through the large bowel. Obstructions can be partial or complete. While partial blockages can...
Small bowel obstruction occurs when the intestine loses function as a result of either partial or complete blockage. Postoperative scar tissue causes most bowel obstructions and can happen anywhere from four weeks to many years after surgery. An...
The duodenum is a portion of the small intestine and is responsible for absorbing nutrients from partially digested food and passing along the remainder to the rest of the intestinal system. In some cases, the duodenum can become blocked or...
Hernia describes a condition where body organs or tissue protrudes through a weakness in the abdominal wall. A noticeable bulge exists at the point of protrusion, and it can be painful and more noticeable during certain activities, such as...
The herbal medicine cascara sagarda, commonly sold as an over-the-counter laxative, can cause several significant side effects. The U.S. National Institutes of Health classify cascara sagrada as a stimulant laxative, noting that its effects are...
Diverticula are areas in the wall of the intestine that bulges due to a weakness. This condition is a common condition associated with aging. About half of the population older than 60 is affected with diverticulosis, according to Medline Plus....
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...
An intestinal blockage or obstruction is the condition in which something prevents food and water from progressing through the digestive tract. The cause of an intestinal blockage can be either a mechanical obstruction (something physically in the...
Abdominal pain is a discomfort experienced in the region between the chest and the groin. The location of pain in the abdomen is a clue to the disease process causing the pain. Abdominal pain can originate from the organs of digestion as well as...
