System – Digestive

What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)? GERD is an upper digestive disorder that is characterized by a decrease in lower esophageal sphincter pressure (LES,) which allows the abnormal reflux or backflow of stomach contents into the esophagus. It is also ...

What Is Penicillin V Impaired Absorption In Children? Penicillin V impaired absorption in children is characterized by lack of ability to absorb the oral antibiotic medicine, penicillin V,  from the small intestine. Q: What is penicillin V? A: Penicillin V ...

What Is Fecal Occult Blood In Children? The presence of fecal occult blood in children is caused by minimal bleeding of less than a tablespoon a day in the gastrointestinal tract which leads to iron deficiency. Bleeding is abnormal and ...

What Is Glycogenic Acanthosis? Glycogenic acanthosis is a benign thickening of the esophageal squamous epithelium (surface cell lining)  characterized by the presence of numerous, uniformly grey-white plaques made up of large squamous cells filled with glycogen. The wax-like plaques in ...

What Is Cystic Fibrosis? Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease of the exocrine glands which causes the body to produce abnormally thick and sticky mucus and results in progressive damage to the respiratory system and digestive problems. Severity of disease depends ...

What Is The Puerperium Complicated by Celiac Disease? Celiac disease complicating puerperium is an adult manifestation of celiac disease that appears during the 6 weeks after delivery of a baby(ies). It is characterized by severe diarrhea in the newly delivered ...

What Is Refractory Celiac Disease? Refractory celiac disease, formerly called refractory sprue, is a severe complication characterized by persistence of symptoms and intestinal inflammation despite gluten free diet after 12 months.1 Refractory celiac disease appears in two forms, ulcerative jejunitis (RCD ...

What Is Occult Gastrointestinal Bleeding? Occult gastrointestinal bleeding is characterized by unseen or minute quantities of blood in stool. The origin of bleeding is from mucosa that lines the inside of the digestive tract at a site that must be ...

What Is Chronic Constipation Alternating With Diarrhea? Chronic constipation alternating with diarrhea is an intestinal motility disorder, or irregularity, characterized by alteration in stool formation, consistency, and evacuation which results in a bowel movement that consists of some hard or balled ...

What Is Volvulus? Volvulus is twisting of a loop(s) of bowel onto itself which effectively closes it thus preventing digested matter from passing and causing engorgement of the closed loop with gas and fluid. Q: How does the bowel get ...

What Is Postbulbar Duodenal Ulceration/Stenosis? Postbulbar duodenal ulceration is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by thickening of the intestinal lining with excoriation penetrating the muscularis mucosae (muscle layer of the intestine) associated with villous atrophy. The ulcer is well-defined. Stenosis ...

What Is Milk Intolerance (Bovine Beta Casein Enteropathy)? Bovine beta casein enteropathy is characterized by raised serum IgA antibodies to bovine beta casein found by blood testing and damage to mucosa of the jejunum found by biopsy. The jejunum is the second ...

What Is Maltose Intolerance? Maltose intolerance is an enzymopathy (enzyme failure) characterized by inability of the gut to properly break down maltose sugar molecules in food due to low maltase enzyme activity of the small intestinal lining. Q: What is ...

What Is Lactose Intolerance? Lactose intolerance is a well known symptom of carbohydrate malabsorption characterized by inability to properly digest lactose, the sugar in milk, due to low lactase digesting activity in the small intestine. Lactase is an enzyme produced ...

What Is Chronic Ulcerative Jejunitis? Chronic ulcerative jejunitis is a disease of the small intestine that is characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the mucosal lining of the jejunum. Q: How do inflammation and ulceration affect digestion in the jejunum? A: ...