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Diseases » Digestive Diseases » Glossary

Glossary for Digestive Diseases

Abdominal pain: A condition which is characterized by the sensation of pain that is located in the abdomen
Achalasia: A rare motor disorder of the esophagus characterized by inability of the lower esophageal sphincter and esophageal muscle to relax as well as dilation of the esophagus.
Acute Nonulcer dyspepsia: Sudden acute indigestion not caused by a peptic ulcer.
Acute Pancreatitis: Sudden severe inflammation of the pancreas causing digestive complaints.
Amebic dysentery: Ameba-caused bacterial bowel infection and ulceration.
Anthrax: A serious infectious bacterial disease that can be fatal.
Bacterial digestive infections: Bacterial infections affecting the gastrointestinal
Behcet's Disease: Recurring inflammation of small blood vessels affecting various areas.
Belching: The release of gas from the digestive tract through the mouth.
Bleeding symptoms: Any type of bleeding symptoms.
Bowel Obstruction: Blockage in the bowel of the digestive tract.
Bowel conditions: Medical conditions that affect the bowels
Carcinoid of Gastrointestinal Tract: Carcinoid tumor in the digestive tract.
Celiac Disease: Digestive intolerance to gluten in the diet.
Cholera: An acute bacterial disease transmitted through food or water contaminated with human faeces. The intestinal infection is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
Chronic Nonulcer dyspepsia: Chronic indigestion not caused by a peptic ulcer.
Chronic Pancreatitis: Chronic ongoing inflammation of the pancreas causing digestive complaints.
Chronic digestive diseases: Any disorder causing ongoing chronic digestive complaints.
Colic: Abdominal spasms causing pain
Colon conditions: Any condition affecting the colon
Colonic volvulus: Twisting of the colon.
Colorectal cancer: Cancer of the colon (bowel) or rectum.
Constipation: Difficult or dry bowel movements
Crohn's disease: Crohn's disease causes inflammation of the digestive system. It is one of a group of diseases called inflammatory bowel disease. The disease can affect any area from the mouth to the anus. It often affects the lower part of the small intestine called the ileum.
Cryptosporiosis: Contagious parasitic digestive infection
Cystic Fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease affecting the exocrine (mucus) glands of the lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, causing progressive disability due to multisystem failure.
Diabetic Diarrhea: Diarrhea that occurs in diabetics as a result of the damage done by diabetes to the digestive system. Digestive system damage is caused by intestinal neuropathy (damage to intestinal nerves) or bacterial overgrowth or both.
Diabetic Gastroparesis: Gastroparesis is a diabetic complication that occurs from neuropathy of the stomach nerve (called the "vagus nerve"). This causes digestive difficulties as the food starts to move too slowly through the stomach.
Diarrhea: Loose or watery stool.
Digestive system cancer: A malignancy that affects the gastrointestinal cancer
Dysentery: A general term for various bacterial digestive disorders.
Entamoeba histolytica: Parasitic digestive infection.
Enterocolitis: Serious type of intestinal infection
Enteroviruses: Viruses affecting the digestive tract.
Epigastric pain: Pain located in the upper and middle region of the abdomen
Food intolerances: Any inability to tolerate particular foods.
GAS: Excessive flatulence or belching from gas over-production.
Gallstones: Stone-like deposits in the gall bladder.
Gastric erosion: Inflammation of the stomach lining
Gastroenteritis: Acute stomach or intestine inflammation
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Repeated reflux of stomach acid into the throat.
Gastrointestinal Anthrax: Anthrax of the digestive system.
Gastrointestinal bleeding: Internal bleeding in the digestive tract
Gastroparesis: Slow stomach emptying from stomach nerve damage
Giardia: Contagious parasitic digestive infection
Headache-free migraine: A syndrome with no headache but other migraine-like symptoms
Heartburn: Pain from stomach acid coming back up the esophagus
Helicobacter pylori bacteria: A bacteria that can infect the gastrointestinal system
Hemolytic uremic syndrome: A rare condition characterized by acute kidney failure, hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia (reduced blood platelet count). The condition is often caused by upper respiratory infections or infectious diarrhea.
Hirschsprung's disease: A rare condition where abnormalities in the bowel muscles prevent it from contracting normally and pushing the fecal matter through which results in obstruction and dilation of the bowel.
Indigestion: Various eating symptoms of indigestion (dyspepsia)
Infectious Diarrhea: Infectious digestive infections causing diarrhea.
Inflammatory bowel disease: Any type of digestive condition caused by bowel inflammation.
Intestinal Conditions: Conditions that affect the intestines
Intestinal pseudo-obstruction: A digestive disorder where the intestines are unable to contract normally and push food through the digestive system. This results in symptoms similar to an obstruction and hence the name pseudo-obstruction. The walls of the affected gastrointestinal tract becomes thin and the muscles that control its motion start to degenerate.
Irritable bowel syndrome: Spasms in the colon wall
Lactose Intolerance: Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products, because the required enzyme lactase is absent in the intestinal system or its availability is lowered.
Malabsorption: Failure to digest nutrients properly
Megacolon: Extreme bowel distention
Melena: Black, tarry stools with an offensive odour caused by an upper gastrointestinal bleed.
Nausea: The queasy feeling of nausea and often also vomiting.
Nonulcer dyspepsia: Persistent indigestion not caused by a peptic ulcer.
Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas causing digestive complaints.
Peptic Ulcer: Ulcer on the lining of the stomach or duodenum
Pyloric stenosis: Narrowed opening between stomach and intestines
Rapid gastric emptying: Dumping of undigested food from the stomach into intestine.
Shigellosis: An infectious disease which affects the intestinal tract and is caused by the Shigella bacteria. The condition may be severe, especially in children, but may be asymptomatic in some cases. The disease can be transmitted through fecal-oral contact.
Small Intestine Cancer: Cancer of the small intestine.
Smoking: The smoking of cigarettes
Sprue: Malabsorption digestive syndrome
Stomach Conditions: Any condition that affects a persons stomach
Stomach cancer: Stomach or gastric cancer can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs
Stress: Emotional stress (sometimes refers to physical stress)
Sudden Digestive Conditions: Various forms of sudden acute digestive upset.
Tapeworms: Parasitic worm infestation of digestive or other organs.
Traveler's diarrhea: Various diarrheal conditions often caught on international travel.
Ulcerative colitis: Ulcerative colitis (Colitis ulcerosa, UC) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the intestine, specifically the large intestine or colon, that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores, in the colon.
Viral digestive infections: Any virus that infects the gastrointestinal tract causing a medical condition
Viral dysentery: Contagious epidemic viral form of dysentery.
Viral gastroenteritis: Virus causing gastroenteritis of digestive tract.
Vomiting: Vomiting or retching symptoms.
Whipple's Disease: Rare malabsorption disease from bacterial digestive infection