Tag Archives: Small Intestine Disorders

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: ...

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 ...

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 ...

What Is Acute Diarrhea? Acute diarrhea is a small intestinal motility disorder characterized by excessively rapid movement of intestinal contents through the small intestine with excessive loss of fluid and electrolytes that leads rapidly to a life threatening hypokalemia (low ...

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 ...

What Is Chronic Or Recurrent Abdominal Pain? Abdominal pain is characterized by pain anywhere in the abdominal cavity between the chest and groin. This region is often referred to as the belly. Abdominal pain, or bellyache, indicates that something is ...

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 ...

An autoimmune enteropathy characterized by presence of serum IgA antibodies to bovine beta casein (a cow’s milk protein) found by blood testing and damage to mucosa of the jejunum found by small intestinal biopsy via endoscopy procedure. Click for full description.

Inability to digest maltose sugar in starch due to low maltase enzyme activity in the small intestinal lining. Undigested maltose causes diarrhea by osmotically to draw water into the intestine. Click for full description.

Condition of being unable to digest lactose, the sugar in milk, because of lack of ability by the small intestine to produce lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose. Click for full description.

An inflammatory disease of the jejunum that is a severe complication of untreated celiac disease characterized by inflammation and ulceration of the lining with risk of developing into a high grade tumor. Click Chronic Ulcerative Jejunitis for full description.

Abnormal increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) in small intestinal mucosa samples (biopsied tissue) obtained by endoscopy procedure. Click Intraepithelial Lymphocytosis in Small Bowel Samples for full description.

An abnormal condition of the small intestinal barrier system whereby the normally tight junctions between surface cells of the lining are weakened, which then allows for harmful entities in the gut, such as gluten, to permeate or get past the ...