Gastrointestinal System and Diseases

Gastrointestinal system starts from the mouth and ends in the anus. Some of the body’s
major structures that are part of the gastrointestinal system include the mouth, the pharynx,
esophagus, stomach, large and small intestines, the rectum, and the anus (Levine et al., 2017).
Other structures that are part of the gastrointestinal system include liver, salivary glands,
pancreas, and gallbladder (Levine et al., 2017). The functions of the gastrointestinal system are
the functions of the structures that make up the system. These functions include ingestion
(performed by the mouth), secretion (performed by salivary glands and pancreas), digestion and
absorption as well as excretion.
The gastrointestinal system, therefore, serves a very important role in the human body. It
is also susceptible to a variety of infections. Some of the diseases that affect the gastrointestinal
system include lactose intolerance, heartburn, food poisoning, and colorectal cancer
(Ananthakrishnan & Xavier, 2020). Of these diseases, perhaps one of the most common one is
heartburn. It is a condition that is characterized by a burning pain in the chest. The condition is
common after evening meals and the pain worsens when one bends over. Heartburn is caused
when stomach acid escapes into the esophagus.
There are various tests that are usually used to diagnose various gastrointestinal diseases.
They include endoscopy and x-ray. With regards to heartburn, the most common tests used in
diagnosis are endoscopy and ambulatory acid probe test. Endoscopy is used to check for
presence of abnormalities in the esophagus. Sometimes a tissue may be taken for analysis.
Ambulatory acid probe tests are used to identify the time and duration that stomach acid gets
back into the esophagus (Ananthakrishnan & Xavier, 2020).

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The main healthcare providers that are tasked with treating gastrointestinal conditions
such as heartburn are gastroenterologists. They specialize in diagnosing and treating various
conditions that affect the digestive system (Ananthakrishnan & Xavier, 2020). Since
gastrointestinal conditions affect people of all sexes and age groups, they do not have a specific
demographic that they treat.

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References

Ananthakrishnan, A. N., & Xavier, R. J. (2020). Gastrointestinal diseases. In Hunter’s Tropical
Medicine and Emerging Infectious Diseases (pp. 16-26).

Levine, M. E., Muth, E. R., Gianaros, P. J., Koch, K. L., & Stern, R. M. (2017). Gastrointestinal
system. In J. T. Cacioppo, L. G. Tassinary, & G. G. Berntson (Eds.), Cambridge
handbooks in psychology. Handbook of psychophysiology (p. 258–283). Cambridge
University Press.