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 ...
Read More »Milk Intolerance – Bovine Beta Casein Enteropathy
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 ...
Read More »Maltose Intolerance
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 ...
Read More »Lactose Intolerance
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 ...
Read More »Jejunitis, Chronic Ulcerative
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: ...
Read More »Edema of the Small Intestine
What Is Small Intestinal Edema? Small intestinal edema is characterized by fluid accumulation within the intestinal mucosa so that the intestinal wall appears thick and swollen. Intestinal edema hampers peristalsis that can result in pain and gas build-up. Peristalsis is ...
Read More »Erosions in the Second Part of the Duodenum
What Are Erosions In The Second Part Of The Duodenum? Erosions in the second part of the duodenum typically are superficial excoriations (sores) in the mucosal lining that do not penetrate into the muscle layer as does an ulcer. Of ...
Read More »Carbohydrate Malabsorption
What Is Carbohydrate Malabsorption? Carbohydrate malabsorption is a digestive disorder characterized by the inability to properly digest and absorb carbohydrates within the small intestine to supply needed energy to the body. Q: What carbohydrates should be normally digested and absorbed? A: In normal ...
Read More »Abdominal Distention, Chronic (Bloating)
What Is Chronic Abdominal Distention? Abdominal distention, or bloating, is characterized by enlargement in normal size of abdomen not due to fatty tissue. Q: Why does the abdomen enlarge? A: The abdomen enlarges because the bowel is dysfunctional. Loops of ...
Read More »Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
What Is Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis? Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an uncommon, slowly progressive bile duct disease that results in stagnation or build-up of bile in the liver, called cholestasis. Primary sclerosing cholangitis is characterized by sclerosis, or scarring inflammation ...
Read More »Cirrhosis, Primary Biliary
What Is Primary Biliary Cirrhosis? Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a biliary tract disease characterized by chronic cholestasis (build-up of bile) and gradual destruction of bile ducts within the liver, called intrahepatic bile ducts, caused by chronic inflammation. Primary biliary ...
Read More »Autoimmune Cholangitis
What Is Autoimmune Cholangitis? Autoimmune cholangitis is a rare inflammatory self-targeted disease of the biliary tract produced by high levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and antinuclear antibodies (ANA). Autoimmune cholangitis is characterized by progressive inflammation and scarring that leads to ...
Read More »Gastritis, Collagenous
What Is Collagenous Gastritis? Collagenous gastritis is a rarely reported stomach disorder characterized by the deposition of a subepithelial collagen band and accompanying inflammatory infiltrate in the stomach wall. A subepithelial collagen band means that collagen, a tough fibrous protein, has ...
Read More »Multiple Gastric Ulcerations
What Are Multiple Gastric Ulcerations? Multiple gastric ulcerations denote a stomach disorder that involves damage to the superficial mucosa characterized by many sores of the stomach antrum that are marked by inflammation, necrosis (death of the affected cells) and sloughing of ...
Read More »Gastroparesis – Delayed Gastric Emptying
What Is Delayed Gastric Emptying? Delayed gastric emptying is a stomach motility or movement disorder characterized by abnormally slow movement of gastric contents from the stomach through the pyloric sphincter into the duodenum, causing dyspepsia. Q: What determines how fast ...
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